What is it like to work diligently in high school and have it pay off by opening an acceptance letter from your dream school? Better yet, a school that a teacher you greatly look up to attended? Senior Naira Jain found out she was accepted into New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the middle of her AP Government class.
“I checked my email on a whim, and it said that I had been accepted. I almost cried in class. It felt unreal,” Jain said.
Liberty choir teacher Robin Wood, who has been Jain’s teacher and role model since freshman year, also went to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
“It’s always fabulous when you have a student who is highly qualified get into a program that you yourself hold so fondly in your memories. It’s the perfect place for her,” Wood said. “Naira is indescribable: she’s driven, talented, intelligent, perceptive, and compassionate.”
Jain started her drama career here at Liberty when she was a freshman.
“I didn’t have very many hobbies and didn’t really have a friend circle. For no reason other than wanting to try something new, I joined a drama class and I ended up liking the class and even auditioned for a musical my freshman year. I have loved it ever since,” Jain said.
However, Jain has had to balance her stage life with her struggles with clinical anxiety and depression.
“To help with that, I come to drama, and my friends always welcome me and make me feel important. I want to leave the legacy behind that this place should always be a family and should be a place where people can come to feel safe, accepted, and open themselves up for new experiences,” Jain said.
During her time at Liberty, Jain has had outstanding accomplishments! She’s proud of all the versatility and the different characters she played, from Winthrop, a 10 year old boy in the show the Music Man to Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice.
She’s excited to accomplish her future goals, and plans to major in directing and get a directing job either on Broadway or in Hollywood. Eventually, she’d like to become a drama teacher.
Although Jain knows that drama isn’t a lucrative profession in terms of how big the salary is, she is hopeful.
“ I feel like drama, even if it is not something that you aren’t sure about, it’s something that is extremely rewarding despite the low salary. It’s really difficult but it is incredibly worthwhile and no matter how unrealistic your goal might seem, you shouldn’t stop pursuing them. Do what makes you happy.”