Contents
- 1 OUR TALENTED CAST AND CREW
- 1.1 MEHRAEEL – Undergraduate Student
- 1.2 DANIEL – High School Student
- 1.3 VALENTINA – Undergraduate Student
- 1.4 FABIEL – Undergraduate Student
- 1.5 TIANA – High School Student
- 1.6 EMIKO – Undergraduate Student
- 1.7 ISABELLA – Undergraduate Student
- 1.8 YOLANDA – Undergraduate Student
- 1.9 PARISA – Undergraduate Student
- 1.10
- 1.11 EVELYN – Undergraduate Student
- 1.12 THEOR – High School Student
- 1.13 WESLEY – High School Student
- 1.14 VRITTI – High School Student
- 1.15 alysia cruz – Graduate Student Researcher
- 1.16
- 1.17 Joseph jenkins – Director
OUR TALENTED CAST AND CREW
MEHRAEEL – Undergraduate Student
My name is Mehraeel Gouda (she/her). I am a fourth-year Political Science and Education Sciences double major. I am so grateful for my experience with TOR since I was able to do two things I am passionate about: mentor and give voice to the unheard. The class allowed me to collaborate with high school students to write skits about important issues such as domestic violence.
DANIEL – High School Student
Hello! My name is Daniel Joo and I am 16. I enjoy writing a lot, just as much as I do acting, which is why I entered this program. When I first applied for this program, I didn’t expect to last long here, probably because I heard the focus was on the undergrads this year. But, it ended up being the opposite. I actually stayed here for a while after finding out that we would be writing scripts before the acting, and that, along with the other people in it, kept me going throughout. Even when I came up with an idea for a script that I didn’t think would make the final cut at all, all it took was the tweaking of some scenes to make it significantly better than it was before. Overall, I think this program was an amazing opportunity for me which I would take any day.
VALENTINA – Undergraduate Student
Howdy! My name is Valentina Disacco, and I am currently a senior majoring in Film and Media Studies with minors in Digital Arts and Comparative Literature. I have always taken up a passion in various creative fields, such as music and art, so joining this program allowed me to further my endeavors as a creative. As someone who enjoys teaching others, the mentorship aspect of the TOR program garnered my interest. It has been a very rewarding experience so far to work with my fellow UCI peers and the high schoolers.
FABIEL – Undergraduate Student
Hello, my name is Fabiel Ayala Saavedra. I am a first year student, majoring in Education Sciences, double majoring in Psychological Science and hoping to minor in English and Spanish Bilingual Education. My experience with TOR has been an incredible experience. Being able to mentor high school students and work with other peers with distinct backgrounds and cultures. I have been exposed to a diverse range of cultures that have helped me, not just grow as a student but as an individual. With the usage of creative writing and performing, TOR has allowed my peers and I to speak upon universal issues, in order to educate ourselves and others. It has been such a privilege to be part of this group.
TIANA – High School Student
Hi! My name is Tiana Gao. Originally from Beijing, I moved to Irvine during middle school. I’m now a senior at Northwood High School and will be attending UC Berkeley this fall, pursuing biology and business. I have been a dancer for 15 years: I started learning Chinese dance when I was three years old and am still practicing Chinese dance along with other styles such as lyrical, jazz, and contemporary. Besides dancing, I enjoy reading poems, watching Friends and Grey’s Anatomy, and taking pictures of my cats. Being a part of TOR has allowed me to explore my identity, develop a newfound passion for screenwriting, and use art as a vehicle to advocate for social issues. I am beyond excited to share our stories with the audience during our performance!
EMIKO – Undergraduate Student
Emiko Groder is a second year undergraduate student from the CT School of the Arts and the School of Education at UC Irvine. Her post graduate goals include the MTA program at UCI, as well as one day becoming an art teacher at the K-12 level. When approached about the opportunity to join TOR, she looked at it as an opportunity to gain more mentorship experience, and as a way to get back into the world of theatre. Emiko has previous technical experience in theatre from both high school and middle school.
ISABELLA – Undergraduate Student
Isabella Cao showed her enthusiasm for piano at age 6. She has won top prizes in competitions and festivals including the Los Angeles Intl’ Liszt Competition, Los Angeles Young Musician Intl’ Competition, Steinway Society Competition, and Lansum Intl’ Music Festival. She received awards from The Music Center’s Spotlight Program and was a winner in the 2023 UCI Concerto Competition. Isabella made her concerto debut at 13 years old with the Coachella Valley Symphony.
At the age of 8, Isabella composed her first piece, “A Beautiful Morning”, which tells a story about a little bird starting its first flight in a light rain. She is currently a second-year student pursuing degrees in music performance and human biology.
YOLANDA – Undergraduate Student
I am Yolanda, a second-year Education Science student at the University of California, Irvine. My ardor for the art of writing has always been my solace, whereas my timidity in vocalizing my ideas has been a struggle. I am immensely proud to be part of this challenging “Theater” program, which provides a platform to enhance my communication skills and cultivate my voice. This course offers an opportunity to articulate my contemplations about the world and, most importantly, to advocate for those who have suffered bullying.
PARISA – Undergraduate Student
My name is Parisa, I am a second year majoring in Environmental Science and Policy. I joined TOR to get over my stage fright and enhance my dialogue writing skills. I’ve grown in both areas and wrote a few different stories that were performed in class. It is truly a special experience to watch your written story and characters come to life, even if it’s just in the classroom and the actors had only a few seconds to prepare for the role. Each day I gained new skills such as improv, character building, and strengthening a script. I’m super grateful that I had this opportunity to work alongside other students who are so so talented and creative.
EVELYN – Undergraduate Student
My name is Evelyn Rodriguez. I am a 2nd year Political Science Major here at UCI. My goal with Political Science is to be a sort of leader. But I have seen myself more as a follower than a leader. I struggle to get out of my comfort zone and speak up/out. I had always had a love for the arts and this was something I have never done before. I knew this would be an opportunity to be a mentor and show that I can be a leader and do something new and exciting that’ll pull me out of my comfort zone.
THEOR – High School Student
My name is Theor Kamfar. I am a sophomore at Northwood High School. Having always held an interest in written and performing arts, as well as participating in them in the high school level, this opportunity to both write and perform was an simply amazing opportunity. I never expected to meet such talented people and to work alongside them as well. Please enjoy our efforts to bring our stories to you.
WESLEY – High School Student
My bio will go here.
VRITTI – High School Student
Vritti Chopra is a high school senior at the Irvine Virtual Academy, where she is also the President of the Associated Student Body, President of the Business Club, and President of the Book Club.
From drama to music, growing up, Vritti has developed a deep appreciation for the arts, which encouraged her to see the world from different perspectives and connect with people from diverse communities. Whether it is teaching music to young students with her nonprofit or discussing the social impact of certain novels through book clubs, Vritti enjoys connecting with others through art.
In her spare time, you’ll find Vritti cozied up with a cup of coffee and a good book, eager to learn and discover more. Vritti’s love for literature and the power of storytelling has been a guiding force in her life. She believes that by reading, writing, and exploring different narratives, we can gain a better understanding of what makes us unique.
Vritti’s work with TOR has allowed her to showcase her playwriting talent and bring communities together through the power of storytelling. She is grateful for the opportunity to highlight the resilience and experiences of diverse communities and promote a greater understanding of the multifaceted world around us.
alysia cruz – Graduate Student Researcher
Alysia Cruz is a third year doctoral student in the School of Education with a focus on Human Development in Context. As a graduate student researcher on the Theater of Resilience project, Alysia explores the effectiveness of the program on students’ positive personal growth (e.g., empathy, helping, self-esteem).
Alysia received her B.S. in Psychology from Drexel University and her M.S. from Lehigh University in Developmental Psychology. Her research focuses on parenting, ethnic socialization practices, and cultural mechanisms related to prosocial behaviors in children and adolescents.
Joseph jenkins – Director
Joseph Jenkins (he/him/his) is a retired professor and research associate of the UCI School of Education. Since 2007, he has been director of the School’s theater and writing project, Theater of Resilience (formerly Theater of Translation). He is author of the monograph Inheritance Law and Political Theology in Shakespeare and Milton: Election and Grace in Early Modern Literature and Beyond (Routledge 2016) and sole editor of a special issue of the Cardozo Law School journal Law & Literature (Vol. 20, Iss. 2, Summer 2008), titled What Should Inheritance Law Be? He holds a PhD in comparative literature from UCLA and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley.