Assignment I

    My name is Samantha Jai Henderson. I am named after my grandfather, Samuel James Henderson, who passed away just a little while before I was born. I was born on the 26th day of September in the year 1992 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am a person who strongly believes in peace, love and freedom.  I have a tattoo on my back along my spine that says “peace love freedom” in Kanji, a Japanese script.  I try my best to be the change I want to see in the world and I hope to one day make a difference.

    In my spare time, I like to do crafts, bake and just think about impossible things.  I like having time to myself, but my biggest fear is being alone.  I like to have friends or family close by just so that I know there is someone around me who cares.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a very independent girl, but when it comes to actually being by myself, I hate it.

    In my spare time, I also love to watch movies. I enjoy several different genres like romance, comedy, horror, mystery, adventure and cartoon. My favorite actors are Will Smith and Johnny Depp. They inspire me to do my best despite what anyone else thinks of me. They have so much fun in what they do and they are always willing to go the extra mile to put on a good performance. They inspire me greatly to become an amazing performer like them.

    In my pursuit to become an actor, I felt that I needed to learn so much more about my craft. I chose to attend Columbia College so that I could learn in an environment that was open and not constrained to the idea of being “the perfect actor.”  At Columbia, I am given the freedom to express and grow in a way that fits me perfectly.  I get to learn at my own pace and I don’t feel a pressure of having to be perfect in everything I do.  I am encouraged to give 100% in anything and everything.

    With that being said, I feel that by performing and acting, I can express myself in any way possible. I feel that by acting, I can truly get my point across to a listener or viewer. I feel that if I were to express a concern or feeling about a subject, the only way I can really do it is by performing.  I can really get into what I feel by acting, thus showing my viewer exactly what I mean to express.

    By being in this writing and rhetoric course, I hope to learn more ways of expression. I hope to explore different mediums and experiment with other things I may not be so comfortable with. I also hope to learn some things that could help me as a performer, maybe by listening or reading different stories and gaining ideas, or seeing someone else perform in the class. I am concerned, however, about being able to express myself fully in another medium.  I have gotten so comfortable with my own medium that changing to another one could affect my results. On a lighter note, I AM excited about this course and the opportunities it holds.