Hello! My name is Kiara, I am a current student at Florida State University. A little about me, I grew up on a small farm in Northfield Minnesota, took a gap year directly after high school, and came to FSU specifically for my program of study, which is a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. In addition to acting, I have many other interests including pottery, Fiber arts (as in knitting, spinning yarn, etc.), singing​/​songwriting, and I am currently a part of the FSU circus.

Hometown

Northfield, Minnesota

Major(s)

BFA Acting

Clubs, organizations & involvement

In addition to my major, which requires us to audition for the FSU School of Theater general theater seasons, I also have been auditioning for many films. That is something very unique that FSU can boast—it has its very own film school. And because there are so many student filmmakers learning there, they always need student actors to populate their films. And you certainly don't have to be an acting major to audition to be a part of a film, they are open to anyone. I am currently a part of the FSU Circus. I am one of the three clowns cast in the circus, which is super fun. I also am a part of Clay Club, which meets every Fridays and gives us access to FSU's ceramic space and materials. I also occasionally attend the fsu belly dancing club, which is another great club, but their Wednesday practice schedule sometimes clash with other events I am interested in, so I am not able to attend that club quite as much as the others. There are TONS of other clubs to join though, (pretty much every club under that sun) and absolute boatloads of all sorts of performance opportunities. Do let me know if you have any questions about clubs or performance opportunities, I've been exploring a lot already and there is absolutely no shortage of things to do.

Describe your college experience

My experience here at FSU has been absolutely wonderful so far. Because of the large size of the University, there are so SO many opportunities here to engage with and experience. The community is really lovely, most people I have met here are incredibly kind and interested in making friends. The transition to FSU was a bit of a long one for me. It was kind of stretched over two years. My senior year of high school, I knew that I wanted to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. But BFA Acting programs are generally audition-based programs and so are very difficult to get into. The colleges I auditioned for during my senior year of high school ended up waitlisting me, which was still very good but I never made it off the waitlist. So, I took a gap year to better film my prescreens and prep for another round of college auditions, while working as a paid actor up in Minneapolis and St. Paul and apprenticing to a local potter in my hometown. I auditioned for 9 colleges last year and had far better results, as I was accepted into 4 different programs. I ended up choosing FSU mainly because of the people I met from my program at auditions, and the overall vibe the school gave me. Since coming here, my decision has not disappointed at all. I feel very supported not only in my specific major, but also by the rest of the university. There are so many resources available to students not only for health and safety, but also things like general comfort (a prime example that I make frequent use of, is that the health center has a massage chair that you can sign up to use for free!). I have also immensely enjoyed the sense of independence that comes with the experience of moving out on your own to college for the first time, while also still being cared for by the resources (such as a meal plan, dorm living, etc.) offered by the university to ease the transition into full personal autonomy.

Favorite class

So far, my favorite class has been my Voice 1 class. For me, a good teacher can make or break a class, and I have an absolutely wonderful Voice teacher who truly sees and values all of the students in his class. l've also noticed it's quite common for teachers at FSU to care so much about the students here, which was a slight surprise because that’s not the case everywhere. So, my Voice 1 class is certainly not the only class with a caring and terrific teacher, but it is currently my favorite because of my teacher's dedication and the subject matter I find really interesting.

Career goals

I plan to be an actor professionally after college. My main focus is on film right now, but my training spans all mediums and disciplines of acting, so I plan to continue to perform for a variety for work (such as Film, Theater, Modeling, Voice over, etc). What my major mainly teaches, is how to break down our individual acting styles along with our previous boundaries, and then presents us with the tools, environments, and opportunities for experience that build us back up into better, more confident and versatile artists who are ready for professional work. In addition to my acting profession, I plan to continue making and selling pottery on the side.

Ideal way to spend a free night

I love a good, quiet recharge night spent in my dorm. I put together all the pillows on my bed, make myself some lovely tea and snacks, and curl up on my bed to watch a show on my laptop. But! That's just for a cozy night in. FSU has so many clubs around it and there's always a party going on somewhere. When I have free nights out and I want to socialize, I'll either go with my friends to a party, or I will attend a campus event. FSU is always having fun campus events that it puts on, including concerts, comedians, dances, crafting, and more.

High school or secondary school

I lived for two years in Solon, lowa (right next to lowa City) during my freshman and sophomore year of high school, where I attended Solon High School. I then moved back to Minnesota for my final two years of high school, where I attended Northfield High School.