Apprenticeship Report: My Imagination Spark
Our Teaching Artist Apprentice Mayra Carrillo reflects on new opportunities as she considers her time with Imagine:
Inspiring. Empowering. Uplifting. These are just a few words to define my time with Imagine, which has been life-changing to say the least. I will forever cherish my experience here since it quite literally paved the way for my future aspirations of becoming an educator and community leader. I remember being forwarded Catherine’s email looking for a Teaching Artist Apprentice, and I thought to myself, “What in the world is that?”
I then went on to stalk the Imagine website and I remember being pleasantly surprised and impressed with its contents. “We leverage the tools of creativity, storytelling, and theatre to enhance community culture and create opportunities for learning, connection and development.” I was hooked. It sounded like an amazing opportunity to develop my teaching skills, especially through something I love doing—theatre! After my interview with Catherine, I was blown away. Not only because of her comforting and inviting demeanor, but also because of how much I was able to learn about Teaching Artistry through that interview alone!
Six months later, I can confidently say I’ve never been in a better place in my life than now. I’ve never felt more welcome and belonging than I do here at Imagine. Growing up in Fresno in a low-income, Mexican-immigrant household, I had extremely limited opportunities to do anything really. All I had were dreams and aspirations of getting out and doing something amazing, of being able to inspire young girls like me that felt stuck in a place that hinders growth, of being able to reach a place that motivated vulnerability and self growth. 16 year-old me just wanted to be a better person. A better life. I wanted more for myself.
Going to college was a big thing for me, for my family. For the first couple years, I felt off in the educational setting. I felt dumb. I didn’t feel I was good enough or smart enough to be there. “They must have made a mistake with my application”, I always thought. I gradually started to realize, though, exactly how much my voice mattered. This team has been able to provide me with that platform to use my voice to uplift my community. They’ve provided me with opportunities that I never could’ve even imagined. My only regret is not coming across this team sooner!