Pursuing Her Passions
Alumna Karlyn Leander describes herself with two passions: one to serve God, the other to build worlds, the kind she saw at Disneyland as a child. But the contacts she had in her home state of Colorado didn’t know much about theme parks, so she was advised to study theater instead!
Fast forward through a series of coincidences which can only come from the Lord, Leander found herself making the move to California to attend Jessup’s vibrant theatre program. As it still remains today, the department’s stated purpose is to produce artists unwavering in their commitment to excellence, and truth, not to mention develop graduates who are exceptionally employable.
At the time, the theater department was small but that meant more opportunities for her to roll up her sleeves and get busy. “On my first day, our scenic designer handed me a paintbrush and said “Go paint a wood grain,” she recalled. “My first lesson was to say yes to everything, even if I didn’t feel ready. As Theatre Program Chair and Associate Professor, Jennifer Jackson said repeatedly, “‘The possibility of yes is infinitely more interesting than the certainty of no.’”
So she jumped in head first, attending production meetings, designing sets, engineering a massive two-man hound puppet. She had mentors in every corner believing, trusting and coaching her. “They challenged me to work harder than I thought I could work,” she said. “They questioned my assumptions and helped develop the values which would guide my work through the stormy waters of the world.”
By her senior year, she found herself in a vortex of opportunity, designing for a local theater company, taking 16 credit hours, dancing in Beauty and the Beast, and serving as wardrobe master for the production. That meant spending mornings in class, afternoons doing homework, evenings in rehearsal and midnights running through a roll of quarters to put 56 costumes through the laundry machines in the student apartments.
Leander’s desire to serve God hasn’t wavered, nor has her passion for building worlds. But both those passions have been challenged, pushed, and refined.
Two years after graduating from Jessup, she began the process of applying to her dream graduate program at the University of Central Florida. During her first meeting with the head of the department he said, “In your application essay, don’t tell me you always dreamed of being an Imagineer, that’s everyone’s story. Tell me how you intend to use themed entertainment as an artistic medium. What is your Why?”
Little did he know that Leadner was well prepared to respond since she spent four years at Jessup developing her “why” as a creative and as a Christian. “Jessup is where I learned that my life and my art was for something. Not mere self expression but a means to further God’s kingdom,” she said.”To highlight what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful. In essence, to serve God.”
So far, every project she’s produced for her graduate degree has been grounded in that purpose. She believes God can be glorified through theme parks. “Especially when we understand who God is, as a creator, an artisan, a builder, then we know He can be delighted with the worlds we build,” she said.
Leander’s teachers and mentors at Jessup knew this, and she credits them with the foundation she’s building today. “All this preparation landed me at the University of Central Florida where I earn my Master of Science in Themed Experiences this December. I also have an internship at Universal Creative and a fulltime job at University Studios. Thank you Jesus, thank you Jessup, and thank you to all of the donors who made it possible for me through their generous giving, to call Jessup University my home.”
