Theatre and Dance IE Pre Grad mentor Verónica Rivera-Negrón
“One of the most rewarding experiences I had so far in graduate school was working as a mentor in the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Pre-Graduate School Internship. It was very satisfying to witness the professional and intellectual growth of my mentee, Mahalia, as well as mine, throughout the semester and a half we spent together.
Mahalia and I met in the Fall 2015 to design a syllabus for the Spring 2016 that would meet her goals regarding a project on Applied Theatre that she has been developing. She wished to complete this project in the city of San Antonio, where she grew up. Intellectually, we ventured together in figuring out what readings and exercises will best help her in achieving her objectives. We spent a lot of time discussing how to do community outreach, design an applied drama project, and how identity politics play a role in the work we do.
On a personal level, both my student and I identify as women of color. Therefore, we often discussed the necessity of our voices and experiences being shared in academic spaces, which is why we are very enthusiastic of her future in graduate school. This experience was very rewarding for me, and I believe for Mahalia also, as we shared our experiences and strategies to continue doing the work we enjoy in academia and beyond. “