Having my artwork displayed for the very first time at WAA was an incredibly meaningful milestone. It gave me confidence that I hadn’t experienced before as a young artist. The instructors and the creative environment all played a huge role in shaping my artistic identity during such a formative period of my life.

Woodlawn gave me the confidence as a performer, the opportunities as an inspiring educator, and the ability to choose my own career path with the intensive education and training I received. 

Why my parents signed me up for a theatre production, I’ll never know, but it was the best thing they could have done for me. It took me a few years, but I eventually came out of my shell and transformed into the confident person I am today, primarily thanks to my experiences in theatre.

Seeing Woodlawn’s educators proved to me that you CAN center a career around the arts, despite the overwhelming notion that art is not as important as other ventures.

As an 11-year-old who thought he might be interested in theatre, I was able to work with amazing educators and directors who helped me explore this passion and make incredible memories on stage.

The academy gave me creative discipline and a visual eye, but also taught me how to collaborate, take direction, and think outside the box.

It taught me how to push beyond my comfort zone. Before taking a class at Woodlawn, I would quite literally hide under tables whenever someone would try speaking to me, but Peg, and everyone else in that class, taught me how to not be afraid of failing during a scene, or making fun of yourself.

Woodlawn gave me the confidence as a performer, the opportunities as an inspiring educator, and the ability to choose my own career path with the intensive education and training I received. 

Woodlawn gave me the confidence as a performer, the opportunities as an inspiring educator, and the ability to choose my own career path with the intensive education and training I received. 

Woodlawn served as the foundation for the way I interact with art. The people and classes there fostered such an incredible, welcoming environment for learning and experimentation, while teaching foundations in life skills I still use to this day.

WAA introduced me to worlds outside of the Sauk Valley. From the global art that was displayed in the hallway gallery to the global sounds and rhythms that I was introduced to on the stage and through dance, I can proudly say that WAA ignited my desire to learn about and explore the world.

Woodlawn gave me the chance to try out all kinds of creative things I was curious about. Some of them weren’t the right fit, but others, like music and culinary arts, really stuck with me.