Allania Capili, a senior BA theatre major at Texas Tech, always knew she wanted to be an actor. Movie stardom was always on her mind until high school. Although her high school did not offer film classes, she thought participating in the theatre class her freshman year would fulfill her love for the arts:

"I wasn't entirely enthusiastic about it until my theatre teacher allowed me to participate in a production. After that, I was hooked."

A native of Lubbock, Capili is appreciative of Texas Tech for the many opportunities for her to grow in the theatrical world. Over the past four years, she has been part of productions in two theatre festivals, including the Bilkent International Theatre Festival in Ankara, Turkey:

"Not only was I able to experience theatre in a completely different way, relying on what I was seeing as opposed to what I was hearing because the majority of the productions done were spoken in Turkish, but I also met some fantastic people who shared the same love of theatre that I still keep in touch with."

I have had the privilege of sharing the rehearsal stage with Capili, as we both were cast in Plato's Dinner Party by Bradley Hewlett as part of the School of Theatre and Dance's RROAPS. On top of her school work and Plato's Dinner Party, she was also cast in Burktech Player's production of Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier. She loves to stay busy, always creating some form of art.

"I've learned so much as an actor and as a person," says Capili. "I feel like a different person from who I was four years ago."

Due to the spread of COVID-19, the School of Theatre and Dance was advised to cancel the rest of their season. She is one of the many affected:

"I had a lot of plans to finish off my undergraduate studies stronger than I started with RROAPS and Twisted being one the of last things I would do in the program, but I'm thankful that the university has responded with the health and safety of others in mind."

Capili will finish her TTU career online, a situation she finds less than ideal:

"I'm prepared to make the best out of the situation. We are going to learn a lot out of this in terms of accessibility and flexibility. Creativity knows no bounds, so I'm sure that some fantastic pieces of art will come out of this unexpected situation."

Capili treasures her time at Texas Tech and is excited to graduate:

"At TTU, I've learned that students should not be afraid to take the initiative to make their own art. As I graduate, I know that I will both look for and make opportunities happen in the future, whatever the challenges."