Alumni In Review: Sydney Nines!

1. What inspired you to join the Mountain City Center for the Arts during your time there?

When I first started out at MCCA, I joined because I wanted to move from a strictly dance studio that I was at to a place that offered more dance, acting, and singing. I wanted to have all of that incorporated into my training because I loved all three of those things. I stayed at MCCA because not only did I get amazing opportunities like dance classes with Jamie or JTF trips, but I also found such a community with the friends I had made and the staff there. I couldn't imagine my life without MCCA, and it wasn't even a question of whether I would ever stop going there. It was such a pivotal place in my life during my school years that MCCA itself inspired me to be there.

2. Can you describe your overall experience at the center? What stands out as the most memorable moment?

There are no words to describe my experience at MCCA! It was such a big part of my life that my description would literally be "a lifeline.” I really can't describe to you how much my life revolved around MCCA and how lucky I was to have found a place like it. My most memorable moment at MCCA would definitely be Seussical JTF, where we got outstanding production for the very first time. It wasn't even being up on stage that was the most memorable part of that moment; the best part of that trip was feeling so proud of ourselves and our little group for having accomplished something that, even at the previous year's JTF, was completely out of the picture in our minds. It bonded me so much to the other members of that show, and it was just the perfect experience down to the last second of the song we performed on the main stage.

3. What do you miss most about MCCA?

The thing I definitely miss most about MCCA is the people and the community there. Of course, I have made lifelong friends there that I still talk to, but there is nothing like showcase day: being with your friends for 12 hours, JTF trips, singing "Don't Stop Believin'" in the big theater, or backstage at shows, cheering your friends on during their big number. I cherish every moment that I can pop in to say hi at MCCA because it brings me so much joy!

4. What advice would you offer to current students or those considering joining the center?

I would say to take full advantage of any opportunity you have there. Take every single class you can, go to every performance you can, be a part of everything you can. It's so special and so rare to have an outlet to go, meet people, and make friends outside of school, and you don't realize how lucky you are to have that community until you are no longer a part of that space, and you realize how much an area like that is needed.

5. What was your major in college and why did you choose it?

I am a nursing major! I actually just graduated from Allegheny College of Maryland with my Associate of Science in Nursing degree, and I am super excited to start my first nursing job in the birthing center at the West Virginia Children's Hospital this summer! I chose nursing because of so many aspects. I love the medical field, and I love learning about the human body. Nursing kind of takes all of that and also includes the caring part. A lot of the interactions you will receive when in healthcare settings come from nurses. They are the ones who spend the most time with the patients and are the ones talking to the patients the most. Something I really wanted from my job was to not only help people get better physically but to be a comfort or an advocate for them in their most vulnerable times. The field of nursing is so amazing, and I wish I could influence every person who will soon be going to college to pursue nursing. It's an amazing career that can take you in so many paths and so many places.

6. Are you still participating in the arts?

Not as much as I'd like, which really makes me sad. Life gets really busy once you're done with high school, and they don't tell you that enough. Most of the arts experience I've gotten after aging out of MCCA has actually still been with MCCA during their adult shows in the summer, their after-dark performances, and community performances. Most of my arts participation now is singing in the shower and in my car! But that is why I want to tell the younger students to take full advantage of the opportunity that is MCCA because you will never get anything else like it for the rest of your life.

7. What do you see yourself doing in 5 to 10 years?

I have like five different dream lives that I would love to see myself in 5 to 10 years, but sadly none of them will probably happen. I am really just starting out with my big girl life; I'm just now getting started in my career, getting my own apartment, and really starting to take my life into my own hands. So, I really could be doing anything! But one thing I know for sure is that I want to be close to my friends and family, I want to help people and animals, and I want to be happy. Something that is really important for me is to be well-traveled. I love traveling and exploring different places and cultures. I think it is the most underappreciated and important thing in this world. So I hope in 5 to 10 years I will be able to travel to all the places I want to, meet different people, and learn so much about the world.

8. What hobbies or interests do you pursue outside of your artistic endeavors?

I love hobbies! I'm such a hobby girl. I wish I could do every hobby to ever exist. The ones I'm super into right now are knitting and crocheting. I'm more of a crocheter now, but I still do like to knit. I think it's super fun; you can make so much stuff with it, and it's super easy to pick up. One hobby that I've always loved and will forever love is reading. I read all the time. I talk about reading all the time. Books are such a big part of my life, and I love to have the privilege to be able to read as many books as I have. I love to make things, which means so many different things. I love to bake, I love to cook, I love to make things with beads. I really want to get into beading and embroidery. I just love hobbies; people should encourage them so much more!

9. Who are your biggest inspirations or role models in your life, and why?

I feel I have so many role models for so many aspects of my life. Everyone I meet has such amazing qualities that I steal and incorporate into my life. Of course, my parents are such a big inspiration to me in everything they do. My friends in nursing school are such inspirations for me because of their drive and commitment, all the students at MCCA for being unapologetically themselves and creating happiness, Jenn Porter for being able to start over in her career, and my family for loving so deeply. 

10. Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

A fun fact about myself is that I am learning American Sign Language! My mom taught me baby sign language when I was younger, and I have always kept up with a little bit of it. Now, as I have members of my family who are deaf and have the possibility of working with deaf patients at my job, I wanted to take learning it more seriously. I’m a very big advocate of people learning ASL!