{"id":55402,"date":"2023-12-10T10:21:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T15:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=55402"},"modified":"2023-12-18T09:15:18","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T14:15:18","slug":"final-act-theater-graduate-finds-a-sense-of-fulfillment-from-acting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/final-act-theater-graduate-finds-a-sense-of-fulfillment-from-acting\/","title":{"rendered":"Final act: Theater graduate finds \u2018a sense of fulfillment\u2019 from acting"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The

The world of theater has opened many doors\u2014or in this case, windows\u2014for Isaiah Mark Owens, who will be graduating from UTC in December. Photo at the Fine Arts Center by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Isaiah Mark Owens\u2019 mom wanted him to be a neurosurgeon, but there was a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t do blood,\u201d Owens said with a shudder.<\/p>\n

He thought about being a NASA engineer but, similar to neurosurgery, \u201cI don\u2019t do math.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took culinary classes during his last three years at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and thought he might want to be a chef. \u201cI can make a mean chess square.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he also took acting classes in high school and, when all was said and done, the thrill of acting stuck. The end result is a degree in theater he earned in December 2023 after enrolling at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as a freshman.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love acting, and I love what it brings me. A sense of fulfillment,\u201d he said. \u201cI want something that\u2019s long-lasting, and I think acting is long-lasting for me. It doesn\u2019t have to be theater or film. It can just be any kind of acting, and I\u2019ll be content.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boisterous and chatty with frequent hand and arm flourishes, Owens is a theatrical role unto himself. But it\u2019s a sincere role and not just an attention-grabbing performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis enthusiasm for whatever he is doing is contagious,\u201d said Steve Ray, associate head of the UTC Department of Theatre. \u201cThis makes people want to work with him. You know you are going to have fun if Isaiah is involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsaiah is a natural leader. He tends to fall into positions where he is asked to make something happen. He always brings great energy to whatever he is doing, whether it\u2019s acting, helping with theater publicity or organizing events.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Isaiah

Isaiah Mark Owens<\/p><\/div>\n

To say Owens has been involved in campus life is like saying it\u2019s hot in the summer. His resume\u2014and he\u2019s intensely aware of the importance of having lots of accomplishments on his resume\u2014includes:<\/p>\n