As I sit writing this, I am not only thinking about the stressful nature of the college application process and my future career as a fourth-grade teacher. I am also thinking about which costume to wear when I perform my hula hoops act at a corporate event this weekend, what music to use for my intermediate trapeze class’s recital piece, and how to improve my explanation of holding on with one’s feet while climbing a rope. As hackneyed as it may sound, I am not a typical college transfer student.
For the past two years, while attending Harold Washington college full time, I have been working as an aerial arts coach and professional circus artist. My life is spent climbing, stretching, balancing, performing, demonstrating, correcting and spotting -- as well as studying. Rather than becoming overwhelmed, through dedication, organization, and hard work, I have managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA while advancing both my circus and teaching careers. After earning a degree in urban education, I plan to share my drive for academic and creative success as an elementary teacher in the CPS system.
As a circus artist, I have traveled across the globe, inspiring people to smile, laugh, and be amazed at the astounding capabilities of the human form. Listening to the echo of applause while I hang by my feet thirty feet in the air or spin nine hula-hoops independently on different parts of my body provides an indescribable rush. Performing has instilled confidence in me; on-stage, you have to believe you’re the best at what you’re doing, because if you don’t, neither will the audience. Acquiring my skills with hula-hoops, silks, and trapeze has given me self-discipline; you can’t achieve something unless you are willing to work for it, and even if it hurts, keep going until you get it right.
I admit that I revel in the glitter, glamour and danger of the circus world, but I also believe in circus’ potential as a mode of social justice work. Social circus, a field in which I have worked in since age seventeen, is a branch of community arts outreach that uses circus arts to foster self-esteem, confidence in learning, and social skills in children and teens. I have worked with toddlers, elementary school students, teenagers, children with special needs and at-risk youth, in both the U.S. and my native Australia. I have taught everything from aerial silks to clowning to juggling. I myself started out in an after-school community circus program created by the late Dr. Reg Bolton, a pioneer of the social circus movement. I credit him with inspiring me to become a performer, and even more so as a defining influence in my work with children.
One of Reg’s key philosophies was that there is no such word as “can’t.” When a student says they ‘can’t’ do something, we should correct them by explaining they can’t do it yet, but if they keep trying, one day they will be able to. Nothing makes me prouder than watching my students perform. I love seeing how far they’ve come and what they’ve achieved, especially the ones who insisted they’d never be able to get off the ground, the ones who initially were too scared to try, and the ones who had only ever been told what they were failing at, now realizing that they have the capacity to succeed.
Through social circus outreach and residency work, I have spent abundant time in schools of every caliber, here and abroad. From my experience working in the CPS system, I feel I could contribute patience, understanding, and an ability to relate to and work with children from across the social strata. Expanding upon my social circus background, I intend not only to give children the academic and structural tools they need in school, but to build their confidence and teach them how to overcome adversity in life. I can move toward achieving this goal by studying urban education at UIC.
I continue to love my career as a circus artist, but I have always known it would not be my lifelong vocation. Backstage at shows and en route to out-of-state performances, I have always been the one with my nose in a book during warm-up, trying to expand my knowledge base and critical thinking as I increased my flexibility. I love to read, learn and find new ways to connect ideas. While my rotator cuff muscles are beginning to show signs of wear, my intellect and desire for knowledge are primed for performance. An academic degree has always been part of my plan, and I expect to attain it with the same focus, perseverance, and creativity that I used to obtain my circus skills. I hope I will be able to do so in UIC’s urban education program.
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