STUDENT INTERVIEWS WITH THE CLASS OF 2021
The Burbank Arts & Education Foundation is proud to highlight students in the CLASS OF 2021 who have been part of the robust STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs in the Burbank Unified School District classrooms. We hope you enjoy reading about their experiences and getting to know them as we celebrate an important milestone in their lives: high school graduation.
Today, we present to you Haley Powell, who attends John Burroughs High School and is a member of their Dance Team. Haley was accepted to Loyola Marymount’s film program but if USC Dance calls her from the waitlist, she will be a Trojan.
“The glass isn’t half full or half empty, it is refillable!”
My name is Haley, I am 18 years old and I currently attend John Burroughs High School.
If you have an artistic passion, through what artistic mediums do you most like to express yourself?
Creativity and imagination have always filled my mind and influenced the way I look at life. No matter what I do or create, I always go back to one concept that seems to bring me so much passion, storytelling. This art of creating is fueled by my desire to inspire those around me through any form of expression. From a young age, I used to spend most of my time writing and developing stories that would bring me and my classmates joy. As I grew up, I found myself falling in love with the art of dance and the passion that is brought forth behind it. When I moved to California, I entered the entertainment industry as an actress. I have now expanded my interests to learning about film because I appreciate how it can capture the essence of a moment in time. It was puzzling to me at first, trying to narrow down my wide range of artistic interests, however, I soon discovered why these seemingly divergent passions captivated my soul so much. Each form of art enhances the power of storytelling and how it can inspire one as a person. Whether it be through a flow of words, dance movements, or a camera lens, there is so much I want to share and express with the world.
Describe your first experience with the arts while in Burbank Unified School District.
One of my first experiences with the arts was when I made the John Burroughs High School Dance Team in my freshman year. I had never been on a competitive dance team before. During my very first competition, I won first place with a Jazz solo. After that amazing experience, my passion for dance continued to grow which also led me to choreographing dances for the team. I became head captain in my senior year.
Another pivotal experience with the arts is when I took digital media along with Broadcast Journalism. This is where I fell in love with filmmaking and editing. In this class, we created and edited news shows for the school’s Good Morning John Burroughs program as well as films. We worked on projects just as if we were in the entertainment industry. In my senior year, I became assistant director.
What art experience in the schools are you most proud and how did it impact you?
During my time at John Burroughs, the school never had a Black History Month assembly let alone any type of acknowledgement towards their black students as a whole. Therefore, the head of the Black Student Union organized an assembly for the entire student body. I was asked to perform a dance solo displaying any key part in Black History for the assembly, which was pretty exciting. After a lot of thought, I decided to base my story around Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad and I danced to the song “Stand Up” by Cynthia Erivo from the film Harriet. I intentionally choreographed movements to convey the storyline of Harriet aiding slaves towards the freedom they much deserved. I put all my time and effort into choreographing a three-minute dance routine. I poured my heart into it and it was totally worth the stress. The goal was to honor Black History and this generation of black students while proudly sharing it with the rest of the school, so they could also understand and acknowledge Black struggles along with how far we have come today. Once both assemblies were finished, I could feel how moving my solo was to the audience. People were talking about how powerful and inspiring it was to them, which made me proud that I was able to tell that story through the art of dance.
What science or math experiences in BUSD impacted your future goals?
I had the most amazing math teacher for Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus, Mr. Everhart. In his class, he had us do vocabulary presentations with creative freedom on how we would like to demonstrate our vocabulary word to the class. I decided I wanted to create a video as my presentation. I wrote a math “rap” about my vocabulary word and how to use it, then edited an entire video of me acting it out with ASL and dance moves. After creating multiple math videos for this class, I realized that editing is definitely something I want to pursue in the future. I thank Mr. Everhart for allowing me to have this type of creative learning experience in a math class!
What advice would you have for younger students?
If I am being honest, I would say anyone who told you your grades do not matter, lied! If you plan to attend college strive for your personal best and the more opportunities you will have. However, this does not mean there isn't more than one way to meet your goals. There are many paths to the road to success. It's not about how you start, it's about how you finish. If you stay true to yourself you will find your way. Stay focused, committed and know your worth! After everything we have all been through during this pandemic, don't let anyone tell you that you cannot make it.
What is the most important thing you have learned in this pivotal history making Pandemic?
For me, this has been a stressful but interesting year and I feel everything I learned has been important and taught me life lessons I probably wouldn't have learned so soon. First of all, never take your family for granted because tomorrow is promised to no one. I have learned more than my fair share of what it is like to have family and friends lose someone they care about. I also learned that adapting to change is imperative for survival and flexibility will help when venturing into the real world. The little things really matter! Be kind and helpful because you don't know what someone else is going through. The glass isn't half full or half empty, it is refillable! We are resilient and things will get better one day and this pandemic will be behind us in the history books.
Share your plans for your future after graduation. Are you going to college? If so, where and what do you hope to study?
After graduation, I absolutely plan to attend college. I have not received all of my acceptance letters, so I am not sure where I will be going just yet. However, because I have such a passion or storytelling through the arts, I will be pursuing my degree in film making as I plan to write, produce and direct my own dance films one day.
JOIN US to celebrate the REMARKABLE, RESILIENT, and REVOLUTIONARY Class of 2021. Donate today to support their legacy for future students.