Student Blog: Back to Rollins College Post Hurricane Ian

Hi, I'm Justine, and this is my BroadwayWorld debut!

A little about me, I'm a freshman at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida and I'm currently taking International Politics, Improv I with the Improv Doctor himself, David Charles (go check out his blog! https://improvdr.com/ ), Ballet, and Spanish, with the intention to study theatre and international relations. Rollins College is home of the historic Annie Russell Theatre, which opened its doors in 1931, making it the longest running theatre in Florida. We are currently celebrating our 90th season.

Hurricane Ian put a stop to classes for about two weeks but thankfully all my friends, family, and professors are safe. Campus was flooded for a couple days and a couple buildings were damaged (not any residence halls though). Two days of classes were redirected online to allow students and professors ample time to take care of their homes and families. The College was able to repair the damage and welcome back students just before the pre-scheduled fall break.

Unfortunately, our first show of the season, A Doll's House Part II by Lucas Hnath, had to end its run early due to the hurricane.

For the first time, I was actually very anxious to get back to school during break, which is very telling of the positive environment that I've experienced at Rollins. Or maybe I'm just a big nerd.

Rehearsals for our current mainstage show, Water By the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes (directed by Nick Bazo) were only delayed by one day so we've hit the ground running.

Water By the Spoonful won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2012, and its main theme is family, both birth and chosen. While this show does have several lighthearted comedic moments, Water covers the heavy themes of addiction and PTSD. Because of this, we had April Reed, a counselor at our very own Rollins Wellness Center, come in and speak with us about the struggles that those in substance abuse recovery face in order for us to play these characters safely and authentically.

This first semester of college has had its challenges, but I definitely feel like I'm right where I need to be. If anyone reading this needs a word of encouragement, I'd say to take every opportunity that comes at you. I had a teacher once tell me that "the only one limiting you is yourself" and since then I've taken that to heart and even if I'm anxious about trying something new or auditioning, I do the thing anyway because who knows, maybe I'll get that role I've dreamed of or meet someone that could help me on my journey.

Just for fun, I think for each of my blogs this season I'll include a playlist of what I've had on repeat for the past month, so here's my October playlist!