Articles

In the early hours of May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls and a crew composed of fellow slaves, stole a cotton steamer in Charleston, SC, picked up family members at a rendezvous point, then navigated their way through the harbor. Once clear of the harbor and outside of Confederate waters, he had his crew surrendered his ship to the blockading Union fleet. Smalls would later go on to serve five terms in the US House of Representatives. His amazing life was depicted in an October world premiere production of Finding Freedom, The Journey of Robert Smalls, at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, with media design by Joseph Amodei.

Daphnie Sicre was born in Ecuador and raised in Spain until she came to the U.S. at age 15. She was told that she wasn’t really college material.

Kahn came to Lehigh as an engineering student, but the environment on South Mountain encouraged him to explore and experiment. Within his first year, he was working on stage as an actor. Soon he was pursuing both degrees.

Micklin dreamed of being a pediatrician until he shadowed one during high school. That’s when his pre-med plans changed. His love of languages then sent him toward a degree in Russian.

Ingram came to Lehigh to study civil engineering. By the end of his first year, he switched to IDEAS, the four-year integrated honors program. Eventually he became a theatre major.

Johnson was a 3 guard on the women’s basketball team, earning a starting position as a first-year student. They played all four years despite navigating major injuries, including a torn ACL, meniscus and bilateral fasciotomy. Johnson didn’t really have time for theatre as an undergraduate between their academic schedule and athletic commitment.

While Hunter knew of competitive college programs where students would live, eat, and breathe theatre, it wasn’t what she valued. She wanted to be on stage, feel supported by brilliant people, and be able to study other things.

Riley came to Lehigh as a football-playing accountant, but in the spring semester of his first year, he took an acting class with Kashi Johnson.