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They/Them/Theirs

Chiara

I'm a Women's & Gender Studies major and Dance minor at Kenyon College interested in exploring how art forms like dance, theatre, music, poetry, visual arts, etc. can be used as tools for equity and s...

I'm a Women's & Gender Studies major and Dance minor at Kenyon College interested in exploring how art forms like dance, theatre, music, poetry, visual arts, etc. can be used as tools for equity and social justice work!

Endorsements

Campus professional

About Me

Kenyon College

Women's Studies, Dance

Class of 2025

Portland, OR, USA

Interests

Writing
Social impact
Fashion

Interview Questions

Yahoo

Content Contributors

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Please share a writing sample that you're most proud of that best showcases your style and voice.

Two days after the 2016 election, I stumbled across a video of the St. Mary’s Academy Portland Marian Singers that went viral. Sixty young women stand crowded in a streetcar, wearing long black dresses and glimmering pearls. Rain pitter-patters on the metal roof, a skateboard rattles along the wet bricks outside, and a whisper of deep, sorrowful sighs spreads through the streetcar. Then, a big breath. Susanna LaBarr’s Grace Before Sleep and the voices of the Marian Singers echo… “How can our minds and bodies be grateful enough that we have spent, here in this generous room, this evening of content?” Each word connects itself to a string of colors in my mind. I find myself immersed in a synesthetic sea of pungent purples, bold blues, glowing greens and glittering gold. My eyes swell with tears: “I have to be one of them.” Three years later, I’m on stage with the Marians, about to sing this magical song for the first time. To the 700 people in the auditorium, Grace Before Sleep is more than music: it has become part of St. Mary’s lore. I take a deep breath and lock my eyes on our choir director. The auditorium goes silent. We begin singing in unison, and the warmth of the stage lights hits my face - a familiar and comforting feeling. I began performing around the age of 7. I’ve memorized mazes of dressing rooms, can feel my way around the darkness backstage, and know how to see past the blinding stage lights. But until I saw the video of the Marians in 2016, I hadn’t thought deeply about how my passion for the arts could connect me to something bigger than myself. Now, singing with the choir, I fill my voice with greater purpose. “Here the hearth is wide and warm.” I see brown, purple, green and auburn. When I first rehearsed with the Marians, the simplest harmony sent goosebumps down my arms. Since then, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of this choir for so many people, and how it is home and hearth to its members. When we sing, I hear my sisters’ stories in every song. I am filled with moments of memory and music that will stay with me for the rest of my life. “Each one of us has walked through storm and fled the wolves along the road.” I see slate, blue and red. Last year, standing atop seven feet of snow and surrounded by hundreds of sequoias, my family and I got lost on a hike. While we searched for signs that would lead us out of the woods, I found myself in awe of my surroundings. I played a recording of Grace Before Sleep. With music spreading through the abyss, I started walking, fully trusting that my instincts would lead us back to our path. In that moment of trust with myself, my surroundings and my family, I chased the wolves instead of fleeing them. I’ve done that ever since and will continue to do so in the future, trusting that I’ll be taken where I need to go. “And for this shelter and this light, accept O Lord our thanks tonight.” I see magenta, brown, white and blue. Each Marian Signer takes their neighbor’s hand as we come to the closing stanza. Energy and gratitude run through me as I stand connected to every voice in the choir. My life and this song of solace are entwined by the strange and magical gift of synesthesia; allowing me to see a world I wish everyone could. This color-number-letter association has fueled my imagination and creativity in ways I never thought were possible and I can’t wait to see where it takes me. With Grace Before Sleep and synesthesia as my guides, I set off to unleash the greens, purples and golds of my future.

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