Senior Bevy Daniel has a melting pot of interests. From theater to politics, her range of passions is reflected in her avid participation at Marshall.
Daniel came into Marshall as a transfer student. As a freshman with only a few acquaintances, Daniel sought school organizations as a way to get involved and connect with other students. Daniel is now an enthusiastic member of the Marshall community, participating and holding leadership positions in the Octagon Club and the Marshall Multicultural Club, as well as a member of the National, Spanish and English Honor Societies. Daniel is also pursuing the full I.B. diploma.
“It was really, really horrifying, so I joined a bunch of stuff, like I joined track and Octagon Club. I just found Marshall to be such a welcoming and incredible place,” Daniel said. “I’ve been able to find so many opportunities here and really become active. I just want other people who come in to be able to do that too, because it’s really unique to this school.”
Daniel plans to attend Northwestern University, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, this fall with a major in theater. Coming from a high school experience packed with extracurriculars and school involvement, Daniel hopes to continue to be an engaged student.
“I definitely want to do the theatrical productions and you have to work backstage for one of my major requirements,” Daniel said. “I want to join some community service organizations that aren’t a sorority, and I definitely want to be involved in the newspaper.”
In order to gain experience of what it’s like to be an active citizen, Daniel is currently doing an internship for Cathy Smith, who is on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for the Sully District.
“I don’t know how familiar people would be with what the board of supervisors does, but they’re the most local a government can really get in terms of education, traffic calming and where funding goes on the local level. It’s all the stuff that people really care about, but they don’t really know who’s in charge of it,” Daniel said.
The majority of Daniel’s work at the office has been scanning since the entire database is being moved online, but she also prepares briefs which detail events in the area. The opportunity has given Daniel a look into the workings of local government and broadened her understanding of how a community functions. While theater skills do not typically coincide with office work, Daniel has taken advantage of the opportunity to see what making an impact means.
“I think that for people who are legitimately interested in going into the creative aspect of theater and actually being a better person that it’s so important to educate yourself on everything you can, especially in terms of social change and in politics, another passion of mine,” Daniel said. “I’ve been learning about that from this.”
Daniel feels that political, artistic and social change are all interconnected. She hopes that her love of politics can be expressed and furthered through her love of theater and artistic expression.
“I’ve learned that I can make something that is powerful politically, but also funny and artistically impactful,” Daniel said.