Julia Rankin: Starring in the Next Stage of Life

By Emma Twigg​           
​           The end of the year is here and for Seniors, the anticipation of graduation and beginning the next chapter of their life is added excitement. Julia Rankin, a Senior at Glenelg, is ready to move beyond high school and find out who she is outside of student life. She has spent the last four years at Glenelg and is excited to start the next stage in her life and see where it takes her.
           
           Rankin has been involved in theatre at Glenelg and has decided to continue her love for it by majoring in both theatre and secondary education. She plans on attending Carroll Community College for a year before transferring to University of Maryland.  Rankin said “I’ve been participating in theatre since I was nine years old and I want to be able to continue pursuing my passion. I decided on the education aspect because I would like to be able to be a high school drama teacher.” Rankin’s mom forced her to join theatre when she was nine and she has loved it ever since.

            Because she has participated in theatre for so long, she can’t bear to part with it as she moves into the next stage of her life. She has been a part of seven different productions at Glenelg and has loved every one of them.  Rankin’s favorite production that she has been a part of was Lend Me a Tenor because “it was my first chance to show the Glenelg stage what kind of a performer I truly am”. Her whole experience with the Glenelg theatre department has been a truly life-changing experience. “It’s made me a happier and more driven person. I have learned to take the passion and dedication I’ve applied to theatre and use it in other aspects of my life” Rankin claims. In fact, her favorite memories from high school are all thanks to the Glenelg theatre department, including her last performance at the school, Suessical.
           
​         Despite leaving behind so much at Glenelg, Rankin is very excited to start her future and learn more about herself as a person. She is ready to “Move on symbolically with [her] life and to move past high school with a clean slate”. Her time at Glenelg High School has helped prepare her for what lies ahead and she’s taking steps to further ready herself for her future career. Rankin has been a leader for her drama class dessert theatre, which she says has taught her leadership and to be proud of what she can accomplish. She plans to continue leading as she will take on a job this summer working at a Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, or CCTA, theatre camp to help younger kids learn about drama and theatre, something that combines the two focuses of her college education. With new opportunities and changes as Rankin moves on past high school, her goal of being a high school drama teacher, and owning at least twenty dogs, is finally in sight.

---