Changed for the Better, episode 45

Samuel Auguste

In performing arts education, there are some students who love the spotlight, and others who just love to be there, participating, without the pressure and responsibility of being the lead role. Samuel Auguste was one of the latter.

Sam graduated with Brianna Knight (episode 8) in 2016, and spent all four years of high school working on some of the biggest musicals we ever did at Spring Valley: The Wiz, In the Heights, West Side Story, and AIDA. He worked both onstage and backstage, getting a taste of the variety of experiences that Thespians had to offer. He was gregarious, a personality-plus kind of character, with a smile that lit up the room, and had a heart of gold. While he understood how to emote dramatically onstage as a Jet or a Egyptian soldier, he was all goofball behind the scenes. I remember having to rein him in on more than one occasion.

After graduation, he attended college locally at St.Thomas Aquinas College, which has offered him numerous opportunities for growth. He earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. Now, he is pursuing a Masters degree there in Public Administration in Criminal Justice while working full-time as a Regional Admissions Counselor. In fact, when I attended a campus tour with my daughter there, I ran into his smiling face, working to recruit new students! How lovely it was to see how the best of Spring Valley High School is giving back to our community at large.

Sam’s adolescence

He was active in sports, very social, and loved his Thespian experience. He thrived on being busily scheduled, which helped him to focus that free spirit into productive projects. To participate in the fun things, he knew he needed to get his school work done and keep the balance in check. Following the structure of school, play rehearsals and sports practices helped him to manage the abundance of activity.

The rehearsal process, particularly for the blockbuster shows we did together, provided a huge challenge for everyone involved. Sam didn’t come from a performance background, so the tasks that were asked of him were very challenging. Jerome Robbins choreography, dramatic acting, multi-part harmonies: these were not the things our high school students were accustomed to tackling. But in Thespians, it was all fair game, and Sam wanted to be in the middle of it all.

Lessons learned in the studio

The studio is a place where students learn so many things, mostly practical, while in rehearsal and performance. There are a few that particularly resonated with Sam that he has carried with him on his journey to adulthood.

1. Get out of your comfort zone

I wasn’t a shy kid. I liked being behind-the-scenes, cracking jokes, but there are times where I had to step up and actually perform. It was nerve-racking at the time but it actually helped me now because now I talk to parents, to students, sometimes I have to have difficult conversations with them. I have to present in front of 300-400 students. One thing that I learned is keep going, no matter what it is if I mess up, because at the end of the day, as long as you’re confident in it, nobody’s going to know that you messed up.

That certainly sounds like familiar messaging. That’s the stuff I find myself saying that all the time to every group of kids I am trying to encourage to believe in themselves when they are getting ready to perform onstage. I’m glad the message stuck with Sam.

2. Structure is good

For an adolescent with a free-spirited nature, having structure built into daily life is necessary for success. Sam’s academics and after-school activities provided the scaffolding that he has come to rely on as an adult. He is a highly structured and well-rounded person who enjoys all aspects of his busy life: work, grad school, social, church, and being a “dog dad.” His life is now highly regimented, as he lives by his calendar that organizes all of the things he packs into his week.

I’m definitely more detailed with my day, I’m strategic with what I need to do, what works for me.

As an adult, that high-level organization comes from an intrinsic place, rather than being put upon him from outside. I’d like to think that all of those sweaty rehearsals paid off.

3. Perseverance

Just relax, don’t give up. Now, I believe what’s meant to be will be. Never give up. Keep going. Heartbreak? Keep pushing through, you will be okay. You didn’t make the team? The following year you will. If you’re a senior, guess what: you have college to get out of your comfort zone.

Living outside of your comfort zone is what being a Thespian is all about, and in four years, Sam learned a lot about that. For example, his freshman musical was The Wiz. Choosing not to audition, he initially thought that being onstage was “not his thing” and opted instead to work on the stage crew. Of course, some people are actually more inclined to want to explore their creative, expressive, dramatic selves than they care to admit. As Sam watched the actors on stage through the rehearsal process, he thought to himself, Wow, I could have done this. He decided to audition for the next fall play and never turned back.

In the end, despite his original assessment, Sam gave himself the opportunity to work through so many challenges that the average teenager might not have the courage to go for. In that light, I thought it might be fun to share this rehearsal footage from our 2015 production of West Side Story. It was early February, right in the middle of the rehearsal process. Sam is on the far left, by the ballet barre, working through the choreography for “Cool.”

You can see the dogged determination of everyone trying to work through the choreography, and Sam was no exception. Save for one or two exceptions, none of those kids had any formal dance training. Everything you see, they learned during rehearsals. It still amazes me to this day to watch the rehearsal footage and know that most of the guys, including Sam, were on the tennis team and we were sharing time with their coaches.

In the video, you might recognize some faces from earlier episodes of this podcast: Manny Piedra (1), Victor Collymore-Bey (15), Kinsley Alexandre (18),  and Dwayne Gentle (30). I look forward to introducing some more of those faces in future episodes.

Adolescence to adulting

Sam does miss the more free-spirited version of himself, able to shift quickly and absorb last-minute schedule changes. Now, when something doesn’t go as planned on the calendar, it throws my whole day off, I feel weird! He remembers the feeling from his adolescence of “just living.” It was a beautifully mindful way to be during such a mentally chaotic time in life.

While he does miss the moment-to-moment spirit of his high school self, he revels in his new-found adult confidence. It started in his senior year and grew from there. I remember running into him recently and being taken by how tall he stood, how he took up his space and emanated joy outward. His confidence is palpable and he is happy to pay that forward to the students and families with whom he works.

I’m just happy.

What is Sam grappling with now?

Sam is finishing up grad school, studying criminal justice and education, and he’s now trying to decide what route he’d like to pursue. He’s drawn to both academic areas: he’s started the process to join the police force, but also loves the feeling of helping a student on their academic journey. I think there are so many ways to put the chocolate and the peanut butter together and make something delicious. Sam’s next step is to find just the right recipe.

Sam’s self-care strategies

• Journaling/devotionals. Sam has a 5-minute journal practice. In the beginning of the day, he reflects forward on what will happen that day: what does he want to achieve, what obstacles he potentially sees. At the end of the day, he looks back: What did he accomplish? What were the struggles? It helps me align myself and gives me a positive mindset.
• Full self-care days. Haircut, pedicure, facial, massage, relaxing. In high school, especially for men, you just get a haircut. Now that he is older and has some financial stability, he takes advantage of what we women knew all along: doing the extra things that make your body look and feel good goes a long way for your physical and mental health.
• Working out. Along the lines of the self-care days, Sam uses the gym to help him manage the stress. His inclination used to be to stress-eat. Even when I’m having a rough day, I usually work out from 7-9 pm. After the gym, I feel so at ease coming back. Driving home, I feel lighter. If I don’t end up going to the gym, sometimes it throws my day off even more.

Enjoy our full interview on YouTube! Click the link, subscribe, and share with others who need a little reminder that arts in education is essential to the development of our students.