Claira Changed Her Major Again

Originally published on April 06th, 2019

At the end of Winter Quarter, on a Wednesday around 9:30 pm, I could be found in the green room of the Film department talking with the Dean of the Communications & Languages department. My roommate and I were both having a crisis about our degrees, hers because she wanted to spend all her time being creative and wasn’t sure how, and me because I was a Social Work major who didn’t want to be a Social Worker. I loved learning about problems and how to fix them, but I was getting tired of the looks I would receive from other Social Work majors upon saying I didn’t want to follow the traditional career path after graduation.

That night, in the green room, I talked to the Dean who would eventually become my new advisor (hello Dr. C!), and explained how I want to help people using theatre. I told her how I was starting to consider Global Communications as my major, simply because I’d been thinking more and more about the global need for Expressive Arts therapy and how little access there is. I told her about my upcoming trip to Nairobi and what I’ll be doing there, and she said Global Comm. seemed like a good decision for me. The following day, me and my roommate both changed our majors, and I embarked on journey towards helping others tell their stories.

Along with thinking about the need for Expressive Arts therapy, I’ve been thinking a lot about how important our stories are. As an actress, I get the chance to tell a lot of different stories while somehow telling my own at the same time. There are so many circumstances and situations that people can end up in that lead to their stories being erased or vastly misunderstood. I want to spend my life not only teaching people how to express themselves on a stage, but also giving people the chance to tell their story in a safe environment. There is such a need for empathy in the world, and I don’t think we can have real empathy if we have no way to understand each other. Stories are a way we can be understood, and they are how I want to help people.

So there you have it. I am now a Global Communications major (with an emphasis in Spanish), with a double minor in drama and psychology. I was always that kid who wanted to do five things when they grew up, and now I’ve found a department where I can do just that. I’ve combined a bunch of things I love into one, and I’m so excited! I believe I was put here on earth to love people and help them tell their stories. I am in school to learn how to do that to the best of my ability, and I can’t wait to continue this journey.