Chris Leary
Year: Junior
Hometown: Hampton, Va.
Major: Theatre
Career goal: To work in live theatre with the goal of making it to Broadway some day
Professors setting the stage
“Now your classes matter and you’re excited to go. You’re actually learning something that you’re going to use in life.”
“All the professors that I have met know my name and have learned about who I am. They take a very hands-on approach to your education because as with most majors — theatre especially — it’s all about individual performance. I think everyone at VCU does a really great job of getting to know the students on a personal level.
“During the year, they make sure if you’re not in a VCU show, you’re part of other performances around Richmond. There are so many opportunities for live theater and film work on and off campus. In high school, theater was more just an activity you did. Now your classes matter and you’re excited to go. You’re actually learning something that you’re going to use in life.”
‘My best friend at VCU’
“My adviser is Karl Green — the manager for the costume shop — and he’s like my best friend at VCU. We kind of hit it off right away last year when I was in his costume class. We just had this really great connection. Whenever there’s a problem or I’m stressed, I go talk to him about life and have a glass of tea in his office. He’s a really good person to talk to because he’s in the department and has a lot of insight.
“My advisers are really good about helping me pick the right classes. My freshman year I had no reason to ever go off track because I had my University College adviser, my theatre adviser and my Honors College adviser. I was advised on everything I needed.”
The Honors College
“There are lots of fun things open to honors students. A lot of the required classes, like the honors section of English 200, are smaller and it seems like the professors expect more out of you. You’re given more responsibility and leeway in your writing, and I find that most honors professors are more open to creative ideas and new ways of thinking.
“Being in The Honors College, I get to do a lot of things that other students may not get to try. That’s why I always ask everyone, ‘did you apply to The Honors College yet? You have to do it!’”
