Starting uni is wild. One minute you are living at home, the next you are dropped into a brand new world where no one knows you, everything feels unfamiliar and you are suddenly responsible for building a whole new life.

This week’s Student Showcase features Kadelyn Becker, a Speech-Language Pathology student at the University of Akron who has built a life full of community, confidence and purpose. Kadelyn is passionate about helping people grow in their faith, leading others well and creating belonging wherever she goes. She serves with Campus Focus, her university’s college ministry, as a small group leader in training and a member of the worship team. On top of this, she is a long-time theatre kid with a big love for music, performing and the arts.

Her story is honest, heartfelt and so relatable. She opens up about walking into uni not knowing a single person, pushing through the fear of trying new things, finding friends who feel like home and growing into a more confident version of herself. She also talks about homesickness, gratitude, theatre, boundaries, busyness and how to figure out your own rhythm at uni.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How Kadelyn found her community by trying something new in her first week

• Why approaching uni with curiosity makes everything easier

• What she looks for in genuine friendships

• How faith and community shaped her confidence

• Why it is okay to admit that you miss home and your family

• How gratitude shifts your entire mindset

• What stepping out of your comfort zone actually looks like

• How the arts helped her break out of her shell

• Why learning your study habits early makes life easier

• How to balance school, passion, creativity and ministry

• Her biggest productivity mistake and how she fixed it

• Three pieces of advice she would give every uni student

This episode feels like a warm chat with a friend who genuinely wants the best for you. If you have ever felt lonely, overwhelmed or unsure of where you fit in at uni, Kadelyn’s story will make you feel understood, encouraged and far less alone.

Connect with Kadelyn:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kadelynbecker

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Campus Chronicles is the ultimate podcast

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for college students seeking real

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stories, honest advice and empowering

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insights to thrive in

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student life and beyond.

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Hosted by Brooke Young and the Campus

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Chronicles team, this weekly show

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features inspiring interviews, practical

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tips and conversations that tackle the

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challenges, wins and personal growth that

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comes with university life.

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Perfect for college students, campus

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leaders and young adults looking to make

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journey, one episode at a time.

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Subscribe now on Apple Podcast, Spotify

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redefining what it means

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to thrive in university.

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(Upbeat Music)

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Joining

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me today is a special friend

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of mine who I love so dearly.

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Her name is Kaitlin Becker.

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She's my fellow curly haired queen, which

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I love that as well.

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And she has so much incredible

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wisdom and knowledge to share.

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Kaitlin, thank you for being here.

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Thank you for having me.

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I'm so excited to be here.

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As we begin, for those that don't know

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you, give us context into where you go to

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university and what you're studying.

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Absolutely.

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I am currently an undergrad student at

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the University of Akron for

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speech language pathology.

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So why that major?

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Speech language pathology

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is really interesting to me.

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I actually grew in my interest of speech

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language pathology from my experiences in

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the theater and just learning about how

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the voice functions and works.

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And I also love connecting with other

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people and being that safe space for

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them, which I'm super

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excited about for my future career.

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And speaking of theater, that's how

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Kaitlin and I originally connected.

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And community is such a big

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part of the theater world.

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And that's what I really wanted to

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discuss with you in particular, is

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finding this group of people that elevate

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you and push you to be your best self

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versus sort of like dragging you into

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being someone that you don't wanna be

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because what you have so successfully

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done is find friend groups, find

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community groups that help

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you elevate and become better.

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How did you find those in university?

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Because you go and you don't know anyone.

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Yes, and that can definitely be daunting

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as a new college student.

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But a big thing for me was just embracing

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the new things and going

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out and trying new things.

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There's this club or this group that

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you're interested in.

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Go try it.

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I met so many amazing people through the

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college ministry that I'm a part of.

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I showed up there on the first week of

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classes, the first week that they met and

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I didn't really know anyone.

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Me and my roommate went and we were just

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like, we're gonna try this new thing and

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we're just gonna see how it goes.

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And it turned out to be just so impactful

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to both my life and my

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experience at college.

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And now I have some of my closest friends

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from that group just

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because I tried something new.

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And being willing to step out the first

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week, that must have been a little scary.

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Honestly, whenever I see freshmen this

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year that are just showing up, I'm so

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proud of you for being

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here because it's so scary.

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And there's a lot of people in that room

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when you walk into our group.

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There's over 300 sometimes.

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But just being willing to go say hello to

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someone new and introduce yourself is

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just so important when you go to college.

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And just being willing to

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take risks too, I think.

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What's your favorite icebreaker or way to

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connect with someone new?

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I'm curious.

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Ooh, that is a good question.

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Honestly, I love asking about what people

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are passionate about what their interests

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are because I know I'm a very passionate

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person when it comes to

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theater and music and stuff.

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And I feel like that's a good way to get

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somebody talking and get to know a little

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bit of their story and

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where they're coming from.

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In my experience as a host, which I think

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is a little similar because I'm meeting

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people I do know and people I don't know.

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Something that's been huge for me is

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leading with curiosity, but I don't

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necessarily think that we're always

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taught how to do that, how to lead with

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getting curious about other people,

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getting curious about where they came

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from, what their interests are, how they

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became who they are because our society

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is so set on judgment versus curiosity

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that that can feel really scary.

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Yes, I totally agree with that.

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And I think as you get older and you grow

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up, you learn more like just how special

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everybody's individual stories are too

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and how unique and personal they are.

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And just, it reminds you that not

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everyone comes from the same place and it

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can make you really appreciative for

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where you came from or

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just how you met this person.

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There's so many special things about

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learning about

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somebody else and their story.

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Mm-hmm, that's what we need more of too.

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What do you look for in an ideal friend?

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Yes, I love that.

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Honestly, Campus Focus is a college

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ministry, like I mentioned, so it was

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super helpful to have people who were

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also on fire for the Lord and willing to

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jump in and worship

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together with a group of people.

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And I think meeting those fellow women of

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God have really changed me.

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We're always there for each other,

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encouraging each other when one of our

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friends needs encouraged or being that

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person that's just a helping

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hand when whoever needs help.

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I think that's so important.

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And I think in our society today, it can

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be a little bit controversial because

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we're very, I think like,

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oh, I need to do this for me.

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But I think in a friendship too, it's so

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important to remember to do things for

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your friends and to be there for your

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friends, support your friends, encourage

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them and offer them

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help when they need it.

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Well, I've seen something, I don't know

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exactly where to attribute it, but it was

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everybody wants a village, no one wants

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to be a villager and that stuck with me.

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Yes, that's interesting.

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I like that, I like that.

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So shifting focus a little bit, you went

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to a new place, a new university, not

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knowing anybody, what did you personally

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go through in that transition?

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Moving to college was

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definitely difficult.

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And I think many people would agree with

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that because you're

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stepping away from your family.

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And I personally have brothers and

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sisters, one brother and one sister who

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are significantly younger than me too.

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So it's kind of like difficult because

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you're missing out on some of their very

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impactful developmental years.

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But being away from home was definitely a

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transition and it was definitely

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difficult sometimes.

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And I think that it's okay to go into

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college being like, I know this is going

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to be difficult, but

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I'm going to embrace it.

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I'm gonna embrace the new things and

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whatever challenges are put my way.

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And the great thing about today's world

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is we have phones, we can always call our

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families when we need that encouragement

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or that chat with mom.

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And I think that's so, so important.

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And I also think that something that

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helped me so much was

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just trying those new things

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because it helps you find those people

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who are passionate about the same things

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that you're passionate about.

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And definitely meeting new people helped

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that shift in just your life of being

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away from home and

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adventuring out on your own per se,

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but meeting new people that encourage

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you, yeah, that's a big one for me.

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Well, and I think it's such a, you know,

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it's a crazy concept to me that we grow

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up in an environment where we are

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hopefully ideally supported by our

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parents and supported by

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the community we grow up in.

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And then we are plucked out of that and

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put into something new.

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And that's both good and bad because it

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good because it gives you a chance to

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discover something new about yourself,

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who you really are, but bad because

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suffering those ties can

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make you feel so lonely.

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And that's what I think we don't talk

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about enough for the university

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experience is how to self soothe, how to

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make sure that you're taking care of

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yourself in a time when your emotions and

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your mental health

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have gone through a lot.

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Yes, and I think, I like what you said.

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I think it's important to just be able to

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admit with other people, like, yeah, this

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transition has been difficult because I

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miss my family or even just like I miss

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living in the typical house

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and having home cooked meals.

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And I think it's okay to be like, I'm

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gonna talk about this with you and we're

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going through this together.

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We're not alone, we have each other and

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we have somebody who is experiencing the

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same thing at the same time as you two.

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Yes, the home cooked meals, yes.

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That's such a simple

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thing, but like, yes, actually.

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Yes, oh my goodness, yeah.

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It's such a funny transition.

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It is a funny transition and what you

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miss is not always what

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you think you're gonna miss.

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Oh, absolutely.

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You'll learn to appreciate so many of the

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little and simple things from life when

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you're experiencing that change, I think.

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And just how fortunate, like, I know I

263

00:10:00,583 --> 00:10:02,500

personally was to grow up in the home

264

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that I grew up in and have had the

265

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experiences with my family

266

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that I've been able to have.

267

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I've loved, as a thread throughout this,

268

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you've mentioned gratitude a couple times

269

00:10:12,750 --> 00:10:14,625

and being grateful and being thankful.

270

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What, in terms of gratitude, how do you

271

00:10:17,958 --> 00:10:20,208

think being more gracious, being more

272

00:10:20,208 --> 00:10:22,458

thankful has changed you as a person?

273

00:10:23,791 --> 00:10:26,125

I think this is something I've definitely

274

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grown in as I've gone to college, just

275

00:10:29,333 --> 00:10:31,750

because I've been surrounded by a

276

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community of people who really encourages

277

00:10:34,750 --> 00:10:38,166

gratitude and like, just, we even had a

278

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group that shared something that they

279

00:10:40,458 --> 00:10:42,291

were grateful for, like, every day of the

280

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week, I think, within Campus Focus, the

281

00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:45,875

college ministry I

282

00:10:45,875 --> 00:10:47,083

was a part of last year.

283

00:10:47,583 --> 00:10:50,583

And I think it just, it brings so much

284

00:10:50,583 --> 00:10:54,208

joy to me and it makes me feel so much

285

00:10:54,208 --> 00:10:56,208

more joyful and fortunate

286

00:10:57,625 --> 00:10:59,000

and just to get you in a better head

287

00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,416

space, truthfully, if you're able to look

288

00:11:01,416 --> 00:11:04,583

at your life and the world around you and

289

00:11:04,583 --> 00:11:05,833

be like, you know what,

290

00:11:05,833 --> 00:11:07,375

I'm thankful for this today.

291

00:11:07,583 --> 00:11:09,666

It just makes life, I feel like, so much

292

00:11:09,666 --> 00:11:12,041

easier and it lifts a weight

293

00:11:12,041 --> 00:11:14,083

off of your chest, honestly.

294

00:11:14,958 --> 00:11:17,166

I describe that weight you just mentioned

295

00:11:17,291 --> 00:11:20,208

as like taking a backpack and filling

296

00:11:20,208 --> 00:11:23,208

that backpack with rocks and then lugging

297

00:11:23,208 --> 00:11:24,750

that around, you know, the weight of

298

00:11:24,750 --> 00:11:27,083

failures, the weight of conversations

299

00:11:27,416 --> 00:11:29,041

that you're replaying, I know I'm huge on

300

00:11:29,041 --> 00:11:31,000

that, things that you're anxious about

301

00:11:31,583 --> 00:11:34,458

and it legitimately feels unless you have

302

00:11:34,458 --> 00:11:36,500

something to combat that and take those

303

00:11:36,500 --> 00:11:38,291

rocks out of your backpack, like you're

304

00:11:38,291 --> 00:11:38,958

carrying around a

305

00:11:38,958 --> 00:11:40,458

backpack of rocks all day.

306

00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,500

And so many people are living that way

307

00:11:44,541 --> 00:11:46,666

because gratitude isn't

308

00:11:46,666 --> 00:11:47,791

talked about in our culture.

309

00:11:47,791 --> 00:11:49,333

It's easier to go for the

310

00:11:49,333 --> 00:11:50,541

negative most of the time.

311

00:11:50,833 --> 00:11:54,125

Yes, yes, and I feel like our culture too

312

00:11:54,166 --> 00:11:55,708

is very much always about,

313

00:11:56,333 --> 00:11:57,916

okay, what's the next thing?

314

00:11:57,916 --> 00:11:59,333

Like what's gonna happen now?

315

00:11:59,708 --> 00:12:00,833

Or, you know, even

316

00:12:00,833 --> 00:12:02,916

what am I gonna buy next?

317

00:12:02,916 --> 00:12:04,583

What's gonna be my next big purchase?

318

00:12:05,250 --> 00:12:07,291

And I feel like kind of shifting that

319

00:12:07,291 --> 00:12:10,875

mindset and focusing more on like, oh my

320

00:12:10,875 --> 00:12:14,250

goodness, like look at where I am now and

321

00:12:14,250 --> 00:12:16,250

look at where I was, you know, five years

322

00:12:16,250 --> 00:12:19,291

ago too, how you've changed as a person

323

00:12:19,291 --> 00:12:22,166

or just how for me, like the Lord has

324

00:12:22,166 --> 00:12:24,083

provided over the years.

325

00:12:25,041 --> 00:12:27,333

It's just so encouraging to me to be able

326

00:12:27,333 --> 00:12:29,625

to think about that and just think about

327

00:12:29,625 --> 00:12:30,791

all the things to be

328

00:12:30,791 --> 00:12:32,333

grateful for, for sure.

329

00:12:33,958 --> 00:12:36,625

Shifting focus into more of

330

00:12:36,625 --> 00:12:39,000

your goals as you transition.

331

00:12:40,250 --> 00:12:42,500

So you're studying, you're involved with

332

00:12:42,500 --> 00:12:42,875

all of these

333

00:12:42,875 --> 00:12:44,791

extracurriculars, which is fantastic.

334

00:12:45,375 --> 00:12:47,166

How do you balance it all?

335

00:12:47,750 --> 00:12:48,458

How do you make it happen?

336

00:12:49,750 --> 00:12:52,750

On, so my first semester of college, I

337

00:12:52,750 --> 00:12:54,583

was like, I was pretty much

338

00:12:54,583 --> 00:12:56,375

busy every hour of the day.

339

00:12:56,750 --> 00:12:59,791

I had like 18 credit hours and I was

340

00:12:59,791 --> 00:13:01,583

doing a play at the time.

341

00:13:01,583 --> 00:13:04,208

So it was really like, okay, I need to

342

00:13:04,208 --> 00:13:07,041

learn my study habits now and I need to

343

00:13:07,041 --> 00:13:10,041

learn like how to kind of chunk out my

344

00:13:10,041 --> 00:13:12,291

time throughout the day to figure out

345

00:13:12,291 --> 00:13:13,750

what works best for me.

346

00:13:14,166 --> 00:13:16,000

And I think when you go to college, you

347

00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:17,791

learn a lot about

348

00:13:17,791 --> 00:13:19,625

yourself in that matter.

349

00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,583

Like, okay, am I gonna study better in my

350

00:13:22,583 --> 00:13:23,750

dorm or am I gonna

351

00:13:23,750 --> 00:13:25,666

study better in the library?

352

00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,041

And I think that learning

353

00:13:29,041 --> 00:13:30,708

that is super important too.

354

00:13:32,458 --> 00:13:34,458

But yeah, just being productive is

355

00:13:34,458 --> 00:13:37,041

something that you definitely learn over

356

00:13:37,041 --> 00:13:39,125

the years and it can be difficult at

357

00:13:39,125 --> 00:13:41,291

first, but I think you really have to

358

00:13:41,291 --> 00:13:44,041

just think about what works best for you.

359

00:13:44,083 --> 00:13:45,958

I know something that's helped me a lot

360

00:13:45,958 --> 00:13:47,333

is when I have a big

361

00:13:47,333 --> 00:13:49,458

exam coming up, the library.

362

00:13:49,958 --> 00:13:52,000

Everyone else is going there and they're

363

00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,208

studying and it's like,

364

00:13:53,416 --> 00:13:55,000

look at this person over here.

365

00:13:55,541 --> 00:13:57,041

Like they're focused, that

366

00:13:57,041 --> 00:13:59,125

means I need to be focused too.

367

00:14:00,375 --> 00:14:02,208

And I think finding those spaces where

368

00:14:02,208 --> 00:14:04,541

it's like, okay, right now is the time to

369

00:14:04,541 --> 00:14:06,875

be doing this, be focused.

370

00:14:08,333 --> 00:14:10,125

And then yeah, ultimately during that

371

00:14:10,125 --> 00:14:11,625

time of my life at the end of the day, I

372

00:14:11,625 --> 00:14:12,500

would have rehearsals.

373

00:14:12,583 --> 00:14:14,541

So it would be like, I need to have this

374

00:14:14,541 --> 00:14:16,500

stuff done by this time so

375

00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:17,083

I can be out of rehearsal.

376

00:14:17,083 --> 00:14:19,375

And those run late everyone, very late.

377

00:14:20,041 --> 00:14:21,000

Yes, yes.

378

00:14:22,458 --> 00:14:24,791

So it was definitely a learning curve for

379

00:14:24,791 --> 00:14:27,875

me with studying and being involved with

380

00:14:27,875 --> 00:14:29,333

those extracurriculars,

381

00:14:29,333 --> 00:14:30,541

but it taught me a lot.

382

00:14:31,750 --> 00:14:33,750

What productivity mistake did

383

00:14:33,750 --> 00:14:35,541

you make in your early days?

384

00:14:37,500 --> 00:14:41,833

Honestly, I would probably not have taken

385

00:14:42,083 --> 00:14:44,166

so many classes at one time or been

386

00:14:44,166 --> 00:14:46,583

involved with so many things at one time

387

00:14:47,708 --> 00:14:51,500

because I did both choir and this play,

388

00:14:51,750 --> 00:14:53,125

my first semester of college.

389

00:14:53,875 --> 00:14:56,541

And I learned that I would

390

00:14:56,541 --> 00:14:58,250

have to pick one or the other.

391

00:14:59,125 --> 00:15:01,375

So ultimately choir had to go the next

392

00:15:01,375 --> 00:15:02,875

semester in my schedule.

393

00:15:04,500 --> 00:15:07,333

So definitely just making sure to give

394

00:15:07,333 --> 00:15:10,125

yourself a grace too with all of that,

395

00:15:10,125 --> 00:15:13,083

with the experiences of learning, this is

396

00:15:13,083 --> 00:15:14,375

what is the perfect

397

00:15:14,375 --> 00:15:16,500

amount of busyness for me.

398

00:15:16,500 --> 00:15:19,083

And this is a little bit too much too.

399

00:15:20,583 --> 00:15:21,416

I think it's easy to

400

00:15:21,416 --> 00:15:22,708

get shiny object syndrome.

401

00:15:22,708 --> 00:15:24,291

So I'm a little bit like Ariel from "The

402

00:15:24,291 --> 00:15:25,000

Little Mermaid" and

403

00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:25,916

like, I like this thing.

404

00:15:25,916 --> 00:15:26,583

I like this thing.

405

00:15:27,083 --> 00:15:29,375

It's easy for me to get in that

406

00:15:29,375 --> 00:15:33,333

personality type and then find myself at

407

00:15:33,333 --> 00:15:36,625

11 p.m. completely stressed out because I

408

00:15:36,625 --> 00:15:38,125

have too many shifting priorities.

409

00:15:39,208 --> 00:15:40,291

How do you figure out?

410

00:15:40,291 --> 00:15:40,791

It always hits then.

411

00:15:41,500 --> 00:15:43,916

Yeah, no, it is always like 11 p.m.

412

00:15:44,250 --> 00:15:45,500

You're sitting there in your pajamas and

413

00:15:45,500 --> 00:15:47,000

you're like, what is my life?

414

00:15:48,291 --> 00:15:49,416

Yes, yes.

415

00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,333

How do you decide the right priority?

416

00:15:53,333 --> 00:15:55,833

Cause I think that's so hard and that

417

00:15:55,833 --> 00:15:58,416

takes effort and practice and time, but

418

00:15:58,416 --> 00:16:02,208

what is your litmus test or your gut test

419

00:16:02,458 --> 00:16:04,333

for when something should be a priority

420

00:16:04,333 --> 00:16:06,166

versus when you have to say a plate no?

421

00:16:07,500 --> 00:16:10,708

Yes, so I think while you're in school,

422

00:16:11,166 --> 00:16:13,000

it's obviously always important to think

423

00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:14,541

about your end goal of

424

00:16:14,541 --> 00:16:16,416

like, this is what I'm here for.

425

00:16:16,416 --> 00:16:17,916

I'm here to study this.

426

00:16:19,083 --> 00:16:21,750

So obviously I think always school needs

427

00:16:21,750 --> 00:16:24,291

to be like your number, one of your top

428

00:16:24,291 --> 00:16:26,458

priorities throughout your experiences.

429

00:16:26,875 --> 00:16:28,125

Learning is important guys.

430

00:16:28,750 --> 00:16:30,375

Yes, it definitely is.

431

00:16:30,375 --> 00:16:31,375

It definitely is.

432

00:16:32,625 --> 00:16:35,708

But I also think it is important to do

433

00:16:35,708 --> 00:16:36,458

things that you're

434

00:16:36,458 --> 00:16:38,458

passionate about outside of school.

435

00:16:39,625 --> 00:16:41,250

You don't want school to be

436

00:16:41,250 --> 00:16:43,708

your whole entire life either.

437

00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:45,750

You wanna be able to, like we talked

438

00:16:45,750 --> 00:16:47,208

about, form those connections.

439

00:16:48,666 --> 00:16:50,791

And something that I've been passionate

440

00:16:50,791 --> 00:16:54,791

about from my youth, my young years when

441

00:16:54,791 --> 00:16:57,541

I was like 11-ish, I started doing

442

00:16:57,541 --> 00:16:59,875

theater and I was like, I knew when I

443

00:16:59,875 --> 00:17:01,833

came to school that that was something

444

00:17:02,083 --> 00:17:04,833

that really impacted me and that I wanted

445

00:17:04,833 --> 00:17:07,916

to continue being involved with because I

446

00:17:07,916 --> 00:17:10,416

think it's a good outlet to have that

447

00:17:10,416 --> 00:17:13,083

thing that you can be creative with and

448

00:17:13,083 --> 00:17:14,500

make new friends with.

449

00:17:15,250 --> 00:17:18,125

So I think it's important to prioritize

450

00:17:18,125 --> 00:17:20,250

school, but also make sure that you're

451

00:17:20,250 --> 00:17:23,291

allowing yourself to do things that are

452

00:17:23,291 --> 00:17:25,125

fun and that you're passionate about.

453

00:17:25,833 --> 00:17:27,458

Because ultimately for me, that's a good

454

00:17:27,458 --> 00:17:29,416

way to decompress as well.

455

00:17:30,916 --> 00:17:33,166

And two, what I think people don't talk

456

00:17:33,166 --> 00:17:36,166

about is, and by the way, when she says

457

00:17:36,166 --> 00:17:37,875

she started theater when she was young, I

458

00:17:37,875 --> 00:17:39,625

remember her when she was that young.

459

00:17:39,625 --> 00:17:40,833

So that makes me feel old.

460

00:17:42,125 --> 00:17:42,458

No.

461

00:17:43,083 --> 00:17:45,291

But what I don't think we discuss enough

462

00:17:45,291 --> 00:17:47,833

is if you're a vocalist or you're a

463

00:17:47,833 --> 00:17:50,166

dancer or you're an actor and you have

464

00:17:50,166 --> 00:17:53,375

the intention to get better, to learn, to

465

00:17:53,375 --> 00:17:55,791

grow, to stretch yourself creatively,

466

00:17:57,333 --> 00:18:00,041

that is going to help you develop your

467

00:18:00,041 --> 00:18:01,291

emotional intelligence,

468

00:18:01,708 --> 00:18:02,958

develop your awareness.

469

00:18:03,916 --> 00:18:06,208

How has your engagement with

470

00:18:06,208 --> 00:18:08,041

the arts shaped who you are?

471

00:18:09,166 --> 00:18:11,541

Yes, I love this question.

472

00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:14,958

I started doing theater when

473

00:18:14,958 --> 00:18:16,416

obviously I was very young.

474

00:18:16,416 --> 00:18:18,958

I was pretty socially anxious at the

475

00:18:18,958 --> 00:18:20,000

time, I would say too.

476

00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,458

I was pretty quiet, which I think a lot

477

00:18:22,458 --> 00:18:24,583

of kids at that age can be.

478

00:18:25,583 --> 00:18:27,458

But throughout the years, just the way

479

00:18:27,458 --> 00:18:29,875

that I have been able to form new

480

00:18:29,875 --> 00:18:32,791

connections and break out of my shell

481

00:18:32,916 --> 00:18:34,958

because I'm growing more comfortable with

482

00:18:34,958 --> 00:18:36,583

both other people and

483

00:18:36,583 --> 00:18:38,833

even performing on a stage.

484

00:18:40,083 --> 00:18:42,333

I think really confidence wise, it's

485

00:18:42,333 --> 00:18:43,500

really helped boost me.

486

00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:45,916

And also I was just at a rehearsal the

487

00:18:45,916 --> 00:18:48,500

other day and our choreographer was

488

00:18:48,500 --> 00:18:50,583

talking about how good

489

00:18:51,083 --> 00:18:52,208

dance is for our brains.

490

00:18:52,541 --> 00:18:55,250

And she even brought up how it reduces

491

00:18:55,250 --> 00:18:58,333

the likelihood of dementia in your future

492

00:18:58,333 --> 00:19:01,416

too, which is so interesting because I

493

00:19:01,416 --> 00:19:03,458

don't think we always realize how good

494

00:19:03,875 --> 00:19:06,583

the arts are for our brains and just,

495

00:19:06,583 --> 00:19:09,708

yeah, how engaging learning a new piece

496

00:19:09,708 --> 00:19:11,708

of music can be for your mind and how

497

00:19:11,708 --> 00:19:14,375

many different areas of the brain we're

498

00:19:14,375 --> 00:19:15,958

using when we're doing that too.

499

00:19:16,375 --> 00:19:19,000

So there's so many benefits from being

500

00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:21,041

involved with something like that.

501

00:19:21,791 --> 00:19:24,416

And I think as well, when you're singing

502

00:19:24,625 --> 00:19:26,583

or you're actively performing as somebody

503

00:19:26,583 --> 00:19:28,958

else, you get to take off those worries

504

00:19:28,958 --> 00:19:31,500

that you're carrying and that stress that

505

00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:34,083

you carry and you get to be someone else

506

00:19:34,083 --> 00:19:35,708

for a set period of time.

507

00:19:36,625 --> 00:19:38,083

And that allows you to build so much

508

00:19:38,083 --> 00:19:41,333

emotional awareness and so much trust.

509

00:19:41,541 --> 00:19:43,000

And even I would go as far to

510

00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:44,750

say empathy for other people.

511

00:19:45,083 --> 00:19:46,916

When you can step into a character's

512

00:19:46,916 --> 00:19:48,916

shoes and you can feel their pain, you

513

00:19:48,916 --> 00:19:51,916

can feel their joy, you can feel maybe

514

00:19:51,916 --> 00:19:54,083

the conflict that goes through them when

515

00:19:54,083 --> 00:19:55,750

they're trying to make a decision, it

516

00:19:55,750 --> 00:19:59,000

helps you understand people and be kinder

517

00:19:59,000 --> 00:19:59,958

and more compassionate.

518

00:20:00,208 --> 00:20:01,416

That's what I learned from it.

519

00:20:02,125 --> 00:20:03,375

Absolutely, yes.

520

00:20:03,583 --> 00:20:06,333

And actually there was a show I did last

521

00:20:06,333 --> 00:20:09,208

year, the 25th annual Putnam County

522

00:20:09,208 --> 00:20:10,291

Spelling Bee, if you

523

00:20:10,291 --> 00:20:11,416

have ever heard of that.

524

00:20:12,083 --> 00:20:14,791

And I played the role of Olive and she

525

00:20:14,791 --> 00:20:17,333

comes from a very difficult home life

526

00:20:17,791 --> 00:20:20,666

where her parents kind of neglect her,

527

00:20:20,666 --> 00:20:22,666

her mom isn't really in the picture.

528

00:20:23,458 --> 00:20:25,583

And I just feel like that role is the

529

00:20:25,583 --> 00:20:28,958

perfect example of you never know what

530

00:20:28,958 --> 00:20:30,750

somebody is going through, even if

531

00:20:30,750 --> 00:20:32,000

they're the sweetest

532

00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:33,416

person you ever meet.

533

00:20:33,416 --> 00:20:35,583

Like they could be having a lot of

534

00:20:35,583 --> 00:20:36,750

heaviness on their heart, a

535

00:20:36,750 --> 00:20:37,958

lot of weight on their shoulders.

536

00:20:38,583 --> 00:20:41,250

And I love that you said that it helps us

537

00:20:41,250 --> 00:20:43,125

be more empathetic because it really does

538

00:20:43,125 --> 00:20:45,750

because you literally are, like you're

539

00:20:45,750 --> 00:20:47,708

stepping in someone else's shoes, you are

540

00:20:47,708 --> 00:20:49,541

being somebody for that

541

00:20:49,541 --> 00:20:51,750

two hours that the show is.

542

00:20:51,750 --> 00:20:53,333

And I think it really helps

543

00:20:53,333 --> 00:20:55,500

us understand others more.

544

00:20:56,583 --> 00:20:58,166

And I think it reminds us we're more

545

00:20:58,166 --> 00:21:00,041

alike than we are different.

546

00:21:00,250 --> 00:21:02,875

Like when we sing a song, I think Adele

547

00:21:02,875 --> 00:21:04,625

is a great example of this, there's so

548

00:21:04,625 --> 00:21:07,541

many great musical theater songs where so

549

00:21:07,541 --> 00:21:09,083

many different people will say, I love

550

00:21:09,083 --> 00:21:11,041

singing that song, I connect to it.

551

00:21:11,916 --> 00:21:14,708

And they interpret it through their lens,

552

00:21:14,916 --> 00:21:17,333

through what they have lived, maybe a

553

00:21:17,333 --> 00:21:19,375

little differently, each person does.

554

00:21:19,833 --> 00:21:22,416

But that helps us build those threads of

555

00:21:22,416 --> 00:21:25,625

connection to show everybody, lots of

556

00:21:25,625 --> 00:21:27,708

people feel they don't belong, lots of

557

00:21:27,708 --> 00:21:29,750

people feel that confused, lots of people

558

00:21:29,750 --> 00:21:31,916

feel like an outcast, whatever it is that

559

00:21:31,916 --> 00:21:32,875

the song is discussing.

560

00:21:33,625 --> 00:21:36,958

And then we can then show up in our lives

561

00:21:37,125 --> 00:21:40,041

and in our interactions with more heart,

562

00:21:40,166 --> 00:21:42,708

with more understanding, because maybe

563

00:21:42,708 --> 00:21:44,000

for five minutes or three

564

00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:45,958

minutes or two hours, we lived it.

565

00:21:47,125 --> 00:21:49,666

Yes, yes, I really love that too.

566

00:21:50,375 --> 00:21:53,458

And with theater, I think we bring a

567

00:21:53,458 --> 00:21:56,916

little bit of ourselves to each character

568

00:21:56,916 --> 00:21:58,666

that we're portraying and we're like,

569

00:21:59,041 --> 00:22:00,458

okay, this character went

570

00:22:00,458 --> 00:22:02,000

through this experience.

571

00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:04,375

And I went through this one, which is

572

00:22:04,375 --> 00:22:07,375

different from the character, but it's

573

00:22:07,375 --> 00:22:08,875

similar in a way too.

574

00:22:09,083 --> 00:22:11,500

And it really is that statement of we're

575

00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:12,791

more alike than we

576

00:22:12,791 --> 00:22:14,333

might feel like we are.

577

00:22:15,416 --> 00:22:18,958

We all have experienced feelings of

578

00:22:18,958 --> 00:22:21,708

anxiety or confusion before.

579

00:22:23,583 --> 00:22:24,625

It's that tremendous

580

00:22:24,625 --> 00:22:26,291

thread of commonality.

581

00:22:27,375 --> 00:22:27,916

It's beautiful.

582

00:22:28,541 --> 00:22:30,333

Now, Caitlin, I have a

583

00:22:30,333 --> 00:22:31,666

challenging question for you.

584

00:22:31,666 --> 00:22:32,541

Are you up to it?

585

00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:33,416

Yes.

586

00:22:34,708 --> 00:22:37,833

So if you could give three pieces of

587

00:22:37,833 --> 00:22:41,291

advice to university aged students, they

588

00:22:41,291 --> 00:22:42,041

can be about anything.

589

00:22:42,625 --> 00:22:43,250

What would those

590

00:22:43,250 --> 00:22:44,458

three pieces of advice be?

591

00:22:45,500 --> 00:22:47,833

Yes, so we've talked about this a little

592

00:22:47,833 --> 00:22:50,750

bit already, but definitely just being

593

00:22:50,750 --> 00:22:53,375

willing to try new things.

594

00:22:54,541 --> 00:22:57,166

I think that that really made me have a

595

00:22:57,166 --> 00:22:59,375

positive experience my first year of

596

00:22:59,375 --> 00:23:03,375

school through the numerous events and

597

00:23:03,375 --> 00:23:06,291

like clubs and things to be involved with

598

00:23:06,541 --> 00:23:07,916

that I got to experience.

599

00:23:08,125 --> 00:23:09,708

So definitely just being

600

00:23:09,708 --> 00:23:11,041

willing to try those new things.

601

00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,166

I think another one is along the lines of

602

00:23:15,166 --> 00:23:16,208

that, being willing

603

00:23:16,208 --> 00:23:18,750

to talk to new people.

604

00:23:20,125 --> 00:23:23,916

And I truly, I met friends that I am

605

00:23:23,916 --> 00:23:25,166

super close with now.

606

00:23:25,416 --> 00:23:27,666

And like, it's crazy because I've only

607

00:23:27,666 --> 00:23:29,916

known them about a year now, but we're

608

00:23:29,916 --> 00:23:32,958

very close through just a

609

00:23:32,958 --> 00:23:34,833

simple, hello, how are you doing?

610

00:23:35,041 --> 00:23:37,750

And it's crazy to think about how

611

00:23:37,750 --> 00:23:41,250

something as simple as that can turn into

612

00:23:41,250 --> 00:23:42,458

something so beautiful.

613

00:23:43,875 --> 00:23:45,125

So definitely just being

614

00:23:45,125 --> 00:23:47,250

willing to talk to new people.

615

00:23:48,333 --> 00:23:50,625

And what's another good one?

616

00:23:51,666 --> 00:23:54,000

Not, this is kind of an interesting one.

617

00:23:54,625 --> 00:23:56,791

Not feeling like you have to say goodbye

618

00:23:57,416 --> 00:23:59,875

to certain interests in high school.

619

00:24:01,291 --> 00:24:04,708

I know a lot of friends who did theater

620

00:24:04,708 --> 00:24:05,958

all throughout high

621

00:24:05,958 --> 00:24:07,416

school or before then.

622

00:24:08,083 --> 00:24:10,500

And they kind of like were like, okay, I

623

00:24:10,500 --> 00:24:12,125

guess I have to be done with this now.

624

00:24:12,125 --> 00:24:13,291

I have to grow up now.

625

00:24:13,916 --> 00:24:14,125

Yes.

626

00:24:14,416 --> 00:24:16,833

And it's like theater is not just for

627

00:24:16,833 --> 00:24:20,083

people in high school or just like track

628

00:24:20,083 --> 00:24:22,083

is not just for people in high school.

629

00:24:23,500 --> 00:24:25,666

There's ways to get involved with sports

630

00:24:25,708 --> 00:24:29,333

or music post high school.

631

00:24:30,333 --> 00:24:34,750

So just being willing to try that at a

632

00:24:34,750 --> 00:24:37,125

different level in a new place, because

633

00:24:37,125 --> 00:24:39,916

that's been really helpful and impactful

634

00:24:39,916 --> 00:24:41,541

for me throughout college.

635

00:24:43,166 --> 00:24:45,500

I love your third point because you don't

636

00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:48,458

have to let a part of yourself go to grow

637

00:24:48,458 --> 00:24:51,000

up or to evolve or to be an adult.

638

00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:54,208

That is not a prerequisite to becoming

639

00:24:54,208 --> 00:24:56,583

successful in university.

640

00:24:57,375 --> 00:24:59,458

In fact, I think it takes so much more

641

00:24:59,458 --> 00:25:00,583

courage to say this

642

00:25:00,583 --> 00:25:02,291

is what matters to me.

643

00:25:02,750 --> 00:25:04,375

Like this is what I love.

644

00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,333

How can I find a way to make this work?

645

00:25:08,416 --> 00:25:08,625

Yes.

646

00:25:09,375 --> 00:25:09,666

Yes.

647

00:25:10,041 --> 00:25:11,708

I absolutely agree.

648

00:25:12,083 --> 00:25:15,625

And even thinking about life after I go

649

00:25:15,625 --> 00:25:16,958

to grad school and graduate,

650

00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:20,625

like music is something that I've always

651

00:25:20,625 --> 00:25:23,250

envisioned myself somehow being involved

652

00:25:23,250 --> 00:25:25,750

with and I've met so many people through

653

00:25:25,750 --> 00:25:27,500

my experiences with that too.

654

00:25:28,250 --> 00:25:29,625

And I just think it's so special.

655

00:25:30,458 --> 00:25:33,000

Our identity is ours and we develop it

656

00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,083

through our life and through what we go

657

00:25:35,083 --> 00:25:36,250

through and how we live.

658

00:25:37,041 --> 00:25:39,791

And I'm a big believer that unless it's

659

00:25:39,791 --> 00:25:41,833

not serving you anymore, you should keep

660

00:25:41,833 --> 00:25:44,250

those parts of your identity that excite

661

00:25:44,250 --> 00:25:47,000

you and help you to grow because growth

662

00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:48,666

isn't always sitting in a classroom.

663

00:25:48,666 --> 00:25:51,833

It can be alone studying a song.

664

00:25:52,583 --> 00:25:53,791

Yes, absolutely.

665

00:25:54,291 --> 00:25:55,000

I like that.

666

00:25:55,708 --> 00:25:59,166

Okay, as we wrap up, is there anything

667

00:25:59,166 --> 00:26:01,000

you want to say that I did not ask you?

668

00:26:02,833 --> 00:26:03,708

I don't think so.

669

00:26:04,041 --> 00:26:05,916

I just want to encourage people I guess

670

00:26:05,916 --> 00:26:08,458

who are in that transitional phase of

671

00:26:08,458 --> 00:26:10,250

life that it's going to be okay.

672

00:26:11,166 --> 00:26:12,708

And there's going to be people who are

673

00:26:12,708 --> 00:26:14,291

experiencing those things

674

00:26:14,291 --> 00:26:15,416

like we talked about today.

675

00:26:15,916 --> 00:26:19,208

So please go meet new people, go be

676

00:26:19,208 --> 00:26:21,000

willing to do that because it changes

677

00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:22,500

your life, really it does.

678

00:26:22,958 --> 00:26:24,916

And if the first person you talk to isn't

679

00:26:24,916 --> 00:26:28,708

a fit, dust yourself off and try again.

680

00:26:29,666 --> 00:26:31,708

Yes, yes, absolutely.

681

00:26:32,541 --> 00:26:34,625

I want to say a huge thank you for coming

682

00:26:34,625 --> 00:26:37,583

on, for sharing your time, your energy,

683

00:26:37,875 --> 00:26:40,291

your expertise with us and for being so

684

00:26:40,291 --> 00:26:42,208

vulnerable about your story.

685

00:26:42,500 --> 00:26:43,541

I loved our side

686

00:26:43,541 --> 00:26:45,000

conversation about the arts.

687

00:26:45,250 --> 00:26:46,458

Now that made my day.

688

00:26:47,541 --> 00:26:49,000

I'm just so grateful to have you.

689

00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:50,208

So thank you for taking the time.

690

00:26:50,916 --> 00:26:51,916

Yes, thank you Brooke.

691

00:26:51,958 --> 00:26:53,250

You were an amazing host.

692

00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:55,583

And thank you so much to all of our

693

00:26:55,583 --> 00:26:57,416

listeners for joining us on another

694

00:26:57,416 --> 00:26:59,791

episode of the Campus Chronicles Podcast.

695

00:27:02,041 --> 00:27:04,291

So if today's episode gave you life,

696

00:27:04,666 --> 00:27:07,208

perspective or just a much needed moment

697

00:27:07,208 --> 00:27:09,791

to breathe in a busy world, I don't want

698

00:27:09,791 --> 00:27:10,916

you to keep it to yourself.

699

00:27:11,541 --> 00:27:14,416

Share it, tag us, please send it to a

700

00:27:14,416 --> 00:27:16,083

friend who needs to hear it.

701

00:27:16,500 --> 00:27:18,000

And if you're not on our

702

00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,000

newsletter yet, what are you doing?

703

00:27:20,625 --> 00:27:20,958

Go to

704

00:27:20,958 --> 00:27:24,083

campuschroniclespod.com and join the crew.

705

00:27:24,625 --> 00:27:27,041

We have all the behind the scenes things,

706

00:27:27,333 --> 00:27:29,833

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707

00:27:30,458 --> 00:27:33,250

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708

00:27:33,250 --> 00:27:36,000

to events, giveaways and things that we

709

00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,125

really don't post anywhere else.

710

00:27:38,708 --> 00:27:40,500

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711

00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:42,166

It's just the good stuff

712

00:27:42,166 --> 00:27:43,416

straight to your inbox.

713

00:27:44,166 --> 00:27:46,208

Being in university is wild enough.

714

00:27:46,583 --> 00:27:47,375

You don't need to

715

00:27:47,375 --> 00:27:48,583

miss out on what matters.

716

00:27:49,416 --> 00:27:51,833

Sign up now and let's make this next

717

00:27:51,833 --> 00:27:53,500

semester the one that you stop

718

00:27:53,500 --> 00:27:56,250

surviving and start thriving.

719

00:27:57,291 --> 00:28:00,458

Until next time, stay bold, stay curious,

720

00:28:00,625 --> 00:28:02,125

keep writing your own chapter.

721

00:28:02,875 --> 00:28:04,500

This is Campus Chronicles.