Anyone who knew me freshman year can confidently say that I was a completely different person. I had long hair, wore the same “Life is Good” hat every day, and truthfully didn’t know who I was. It’s honestly hard to even imagine myself as that person anymore. Nothing made me feel like myself. That is, until I found theatre. Now, four years later, I never could have imagined the true impact that theatre would have on my life.
The moment I started on my first day of crew for the fall play my freshman year, I immediately felt like I belonged. I had never been surrounded by a group of people so unconditionally supportive and uniquely themselves. It was the first place I felt like I could be myself. That community helped me discover myself, and I don’t think I could have done that without them.
Though I became who I am today through the people I was with, I also learned through the craft itself. Doing theatre, whether carpentry, directing, or stage managing, taught me so much about leadership and being confident in myself. DGN Theatre encourages students to be leaders. The trust that is placed in those students to be leaders is the foundation of the theatre department, and it is what makes doing theatre at DGN so special.
Theatre is such a huge part of my life now, and I can’t think about my high school experience without thinking about theatre and how much it helped me. Though I’m sad to say goodbye to DGN Theatre, I know that it will continue to be a supportive, welcoming community, and I can only hope to continue being surrounded by such amazing people as I move on to the next chapter of my life.
There was nothing scarier for 14 year-old Giovanna than transitioning from a small school like St. Mary’s to DGN. In my head everyone already knew everyone, and I was a million steps behind. So, summer going into freshman year I decided to try out for tennis, even though I’ve ever picked up a racket in my life. That very first day I met a girl with a purple back brace who would turn out to be one of my best friends (thank you Makenna), and from that day on I knew that everything would be all right.
Sports have always been at the forefront of my life. My parents put me in every sport you could think of growing up: basketball, softball, swim, volleyball- you name it. But it wasn’t until coming to high school that I realized the true impact athletics had on me. During my four years at DGN, I was on the tennis, gymnastics, and track teams. Each sport has influenced me and inspired me in ways I never thought possible.
Tennis was pure fun to me. It taught me how to take a leap of faith, put myself out there, make new friends, and enjoy sports. Gymnastics, on the other hand, was all about grit. It pushed me physically and mentally in ways I never knew possible, but throughout it all I became strong, independent, and pushed myself far, far out of my comfort zone.
Finally, I discovered the sport I truly call home: track. It’s hard to put into words the way track has affected me throughout these four years. It was more than just sprinting or pole vaulting; track and field made me want to be a great athlete.
After these four years, I feel as though I’ve experienced many different sides to the athletics at DGN. So, what do all of these dramatically different sports have in common? Community. On top of all of the personal gains, the friendships I have made through sports will forever be, without a doubt, what I am the most grateful for. On every team, the girls became my family, and I would seriously never trade it for the world.
It’s no secret that I love music. Music is probably how most people reading this know me. While I’ve always loved listening to music and going to concerts, what allowed music to become the defining characteristic of my high school career?
The importance of DGN music in my world comes down to one thing: allowing me to be undeniably good at something. Because of my living situations as a kid, I had only ever been good at something considering something else. Whether I was writing at math considering how bad my elementary schools were or I was good at soccer considering I didn’t live somewhere long enough to play on a team, I was never just outright good at something. There was always a condition.
While I had been enrolled in band since 5th grade, I had skipped every practice possible. I figured that music was another thing I’d never really be good at since I couldn’t afford a nice instrument or weekly lessons. I had quit band before high school and rejoined at the last minute from an error in my schedule. This coincidence exposed me to the student leaders, an effectively structured band system with ensembles of each skill level, and the other resources music at DGN gave me the chance to make something of myself.
The program helped to give me a purpose and passion for my life. While I recognize music is not for everyone, I think the biggest takeaway from my experience is not that I love music. The program taught me that it was never too late to take that first step.
Not only did my teachers and resources help me in music, but that gave me confidence in all the other parts of my life too.
