By Jack Clark
Steven Sawyer is a graduating senior here at Green Mountain. He was born in Florida and moved from Tennessee to Vermont when he was four. He’s planning a roadtrip with friends over the summer and in the fall will be attending Castleton’s theatre program. His first experience with theatre was in his freshman year.
“I saw my friends perform ‘Beauty and the Beast’ at a school production, and they all looked like they were having fun…The next year I auditioned and got a lead role in ‘Clue,’” says Steven. He fell in love with theater immediately and has been participating in school productions ever since. Steven hopes to be continuing his acting career in ten years.
However, Steven didn’t always want to be an actor. When he was young, he originally wanted to be a surgeon. After one movie focused on surgery though, Steven “found out [he] was squeamish,” and rethought his initial dream job.
Steven came out his sophomore year, around the same time he joined theatre. He always knew he was gay, and didn’t have a hard time coming out, although he’s aware many others aren’t as fortunate. His advice to anyone who may be having a hard time after coming out is, “Don’t live in fear of rejection by your peers…If they’re truly your friends and family, then they should love and support you no matter what.”
When asked about what kinds of hobbies he has, Steven mentions his appreciation for writing poetry. Most of his poems are centered around darker topics, like death. His focus on death as a subject stems from his fear of what comes after, and the fear of being forgotten afterwards. Some of this fear could be related to his car crash.
On the last day of school in 7th grade, Steven was going home with his dad. They lost control of the truck on the dirt road and slammed into a tree. Steven broke his hip and now has a metal plate in it; his father, however, experienced most of the damage. They both made it out in the end, but Steven still cites the moment as one of the scariest in his life. “Seconds before we hit the tree I genuinely thought that I was about to die. After we hit it, I saw my dad’s face covered in blood and thought he was dead until he started speaking to me.”
In 2021, when GMUHS still required masks but the school was opened up, Steven taught himself piano. Chorus wasn’t allowed to sing during the time, and so Steven tried out the piano. He liked the feel of it, and picked it up further at home. Steven’s “mostly self-taught, [and still has] more to learn.”
Steven’s message to incoming freshmen is, “Good luck.” He cites high school as one of the hardest times of his life, but recognizes it as a pivotal time for self-development and growth. To soon-to-be seniors, he wants to say, “It goes by faster than you think, so make the most of it.”
Comments