Mack Mae

What’s your favorite class? Why?

The best class I’ve taken so far was my Voice and Movement class with Associate Professor Rebecca Lingafelter. That class taught me how to ground myself not only as a performer but as a person. It connected me to my classmates and collaborators and laid the foundation for more intentional, meaningful, and beautiful creations beyond the classroom.

What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?

I applied to L&C during the period in which COVID-19 was still preventing a lot of travel, so I didn’t get to tour in person until I had accepted their offer. But I remember attending a virtual tour and open house from my living room and just being so impressed and excited about all of the resources they listed. The theatre department specifically really appealed to me, as did the gorgeous campus. I also wanted a school small enough that I would be able to regularly see familiar faces on walks around campus, but big enough that I would still have opportunities to meet new folks, and L&C does just that!

What do you like or find most interesting about your major?

I absolutely adore the sense of community that the theatre department facilitates. I love that the professors and students all know each other as individuals and fellow artists. Every moment I am in the theatre, whether for class, rehearsal, or just to run an errand, I feel like I am coming home.

What I really appreciate about my psychology major is that I’m constantly learning about things that I didn’t even know I wanted to learn about. When I first decided to major in psychology, I did it because I plan on becoming a pediatric art therapist. That is to say, I’m interested in developmental psychology and the impact of creativity on mental wellness. But, after taking Abnormal Psychology with Professor Schoeneman, I was all of a sudden interested in so many other aspects of the subject, like how society interacts with our psychologies and the impact of community on mental illness. There are so many facets that I had never considered could be impactful to my day-to-day perspective on learning, and the major really keeps me on my academic toes, so to speak.

Tell us about your support systems and social outlets on campus: people, activities, clubs, res halls, etc.

I found a sense of community almost immediately, as I participated in a New Student Trip before starting my first year, which is where I met some of my closest friends to this day. I also participated in Passion Play, the fall Main Stage production, my first year, which connected me to other members of the theatre department and quickly became a huge source of social support for me. This year, I am a resident advisor for the Visual and Performing Arts Living-Learning Community in Platt-Howard, and my support network expanded to my staff team. The RA experience has been invaluable to my sense of belonging on campus.

If you went on a New Student Trip with College Outdoors, how did it shape your experience as an incoming student?

I met one of my best friends on that trip! It felt so good to have an experience before my first year truly started where the exclusive purpose was to facilitate my connection to the community. Before coming to L&C, I had a pretty daunting idea of what college might look like, and my NST really threw those ideas to the wayside and showed me that I wasn’t alone and that there is a place and a community for everyone.

If you have studied or will study overseas while at Lewis & Clark, how did you choose your program? What did your overseas study add to your L&C experience?

I will (hopefully) be studying on the fall 2024 London program! I chose the program because it allows me to customize my courses, and I’m excited to explore the arts scene in England! It would be a dream come true to study and perform there.

What advice do you have for incoming students?

It is not as scary or daunting as you might think it is! There is time to figure out what you want and what you need, and there are so many people who are ready to help you not only figure out those things but put them into action.

Theatre Psychology