Taylor Reed is the first ECU student to win the Erasmus+ Scholarship to attend Krosno State College in Poland. (Contributed photo)[/caption]
“I immediately applied because I wanted to go back and experience Poland all over again,” Reed said.
Reed says she is excited to learn more about the style of theater and dance in Poland and learn new techniques she can apply to her professional development.
After pursing theater for 13 years, Reed is certain that she wants to teach theater to students.
“I can enrich the lives of the youth, but also learn from them and better myself to serve my own artistic side at the same time,” Reed said.
About a year ago, Reed partnered with Bridget Burrows, a music teacher in Indian Trail near her hometown of Charlotte, to create the only children’s theater in Union County, called Innovation Drama Academy.
Reed serves as the in-house choreographer and assistant director. Every Saturday she wakes up at 4:30 a.m. and drives four hours to be at 9 a.m. rehearsals. Together she and Burrows produce shows for ages 8-18, licensed by Music Theatre International. They also take students to the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, to compete with other theater companies around the world and to attend workshops with Broadway’s best.
“This year has been extremely tricky to balance both IDA and my ECU life. I had to devote more time to Innovation, being that it is our first season,” Reed said.
Outside of helping to run a new business and attending school, Reed serves as the administrative assistant for ArtSmart, secretary for the student-run Dramatists Guild for Young Audiences, and is an active participant in the theatre for youth concentration.
Reed also recently won the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Award to research the influences of the supernatural on mental health and psychology for a new theater piece. She intends to continue her research while in Poland.
She plans to graduate in December and work with theater.
“I just want to continue doing what I love. I don’t have anything planned but I know what I am passionate about and I will continue to let my passions and God lead me to the next chapter in my life,” Reed said.
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STEM FUTURES
ECU provides glimpse into potential college degrees
High school students listen to a presentation about concrete given by the ECU Construction Management department during STEM Day. Pictured at the top of the page, ECU Construction Management instructor Bryan Wheeler fist bumps a high school student after he successfully maneuvered a steel beam using a remote-controlled crane during ECU’s STEM Day. (Photos by Jay Clark)
High school students from across North Carolina visited East Carolina University on Feb. 1 to learn more about studying and working in STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math.
This year’s annual High School STEM Day drew approximately 400 students from 20 different high schools, according to Dr. Mary Farwell, biology professor and an organizer of STEM Day. She said the event gives students a glimpse into what they can learn through a college degree in a STEM field.
“Students don’t really understand that in the STEM majors, they can really walk into a job when they graduate,” Farwell said at last year’s event. “A lot of other (programs) can’t say that.”
The high schoolers moved in groups Friday through a schedule that highlights disciplines including biology, chemistry, computer science, construction management, engineering, geography, geological sciences, physics and technology systems. They examined rocks and radioactive items, learned how robots work and used geometry software to plan pizza deliveries.