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Amina
September 1st, 2023
"Woodland Hill gave me an impeccable imagination, which I think really shaped me as an artist."
Amina left Woodland Hill in 2015 when her family moved to Maryland but her story comes back to WHMS through her most recent performance of Shakespeare's The Tempest at NYU Tisch. Amina had the opportunity to perform the same role of Ariel that she had staged in her last year in our Upper Elementary program! Read more about what Amina below.
What is a memorable moment you have from your Upper Elementary experience?
I remember playing Ariel when we did the Tempest in Andrew’s Upper Elementary class. I loved learning Shakespeare in Andrew’s class. It was always fun to go through the process of figuring out what Shakespeare meant. Looking back, I am surprised that we were even able to understand Shakespeare at all at that age! But I remember having a great time flying around as the spritely character. I got to create my own costume for the show in Andrew’s class, and I got to create my own costume for this show, too. I ended up using green in both performances! I even remembered a couple of my lines.
Do you keep in touch with anyone from your years on the Hill?
Yes, I kept in touch with Neshima. We met up for lunch when she visited me in New York last year.
How do you feel Woodland Hill has prepared you for the many journeys life takes us on?
Woodland Hill gave me an impeccable imagination, which I think really shaped me as an artist. I have kept this sense of play that WHMS fostered in me as a child. In both my academic and acting classes, I have a passion for learning and exploration which makes me a stellar student (if I do say so myself). I have a deeper understanding of how the lessons I learn in school apply to life in general. I know the value of being imaginative, creative, curious, and playful, and I know that that is an important part of intelligence.
Do you have anything you’d like to share with students or families?
Getting to play Ariel again was such a beautiful experience. It allowed me to unleash the child-like whimsy that I remember having at WHMS. I feel grateful for how much I was able to be myself at that age, and that I’m getting the opportunity to rediscover that again. I see myself as both an artist and a scientist, and I attribute a large part of that to my education at WHMS. I love seeing that passion for learning manifest in the person I am becoming.
