We have very talented seniors here at PV, so let’s find out more about one of them. Kira will be attending Montclair State University in the fall majoring in Theatrical Studies.

What are some of your hobbies?

I don’t really have any hobbies, but acting is a really big passion of mine. There is something called the Boys and Girls Club which is an after school program for inner city kids and I want to make something similar to that with an arts program. I want it to develop into something of a national program after school for kids in at-risk communities that don’t have access to arts programs at their school because arts are really important for expression. So I guess philanthropy is something that I’m really passionate about.

What sort of careers are you looking into?

Well I would love to be an established actor with steady work coming in. I also love social work, as you might have seen in my documentary (Throw Some Shade), so I really want to help kids with the issues that they might be going through like I had been.

You did a documentary on black culture, what motivated you to do that?

I had come to a point in my high school career where I could no longer accept that my little sister had a great possibility of suffering the way that I had. I also wanted to find out about what the other black kids in my school were experiencing. It was driven basically out of pure curiosity.

What is your motivation?

My motivation is remembering my story and knowing that my story isn’t special because there are people who have it worse than I do. But that motivates me to know that if I struggled the way I did in a supposedly equal and accepting community, I can’t even imagine what it must be like for kids in communities that are nothing like this.

What makes you different, Kira?

I don’t really know, I think that’s what college helps you figure out, solidifying yourself. You’re always changing, and I don’t think that I will ever have a solid answer to “What makes me Kira?” I’m just a human being who cares about other human beings.

What can we see from you in the future?

Hopefully, I’ll be in some plays or TV shows or movies. Fingers crossed that I will get the after school program going. I think you will definitely be hearing me.

Kira’s short documentary is available for viewing on Youtube.