My name is McLean Casey, I am a Theatre Management Major with Minors in Busines Administration and Fandom, Cult Media, and Subcultures. I chose this because I believe in the healing and regenerative power of live theatre and performance.
Although it has been a long road to get here, I have always been steadfast in the idea that it is important for people to see themselves in a variety of different spaces especially on the stage, I believe that all of this will show people that they have more opportunities available than they could have previously believed. I chose a minor in Fandom, Cult Media, and Subcultures because I am interested in looking at what draws people to become invested in a certain fan group and therefore continue to engage in the interaction that exists. Business Admin because I wanted to set myself up for success if I have to go into a field outside of the arts.
One of the best things I have been able to take from my time at DePaul is that I have been able to truly define myself for myself. In my capstone class this year, we were asked to write a personal mission statement for ourselves, that is for this moment and meant to change as we continue to grow. I would like to share that with you now. “Each day I uphold the values of Integrity, Compassion, Autonomy, Creativity, Inner Harmony, and Opportunity in all that I do. I am filled with passion when I am experiencing live theatre, analyzing and commentating on media, helping others, and spending quality time with loved ones. Each week I grow in the key areas of my life including relationships, personal growth, social, finance, health, and profession. I feel content and enriched each day because I capitalize on my natural strengths of kindness, spirituality, fairness, perspective, and leadership by doing work I am consistently passionate about. I’m continuously developing confidence and self-security for the sheer joy of doing something I love doing. I will fight for people who don’t have a voice. I will also fight for anti-racism in the workplace and accessibility for all. I stand for active listening to understand not to respond and knowledge to know the difference.”
Although I have learned many things in my four years of college, I think it is most important that I am leaving college knowing who I am. This was not the case when I started in. the fall of 2017. Honestly, that is the best piece of advice that I can leave for the underclassmen, “It is okay right now to be uncertain of who you are and where you are going, but take the time to think and process what you want and how to get there.”
