Olivia Parker’s time at Texas A&M University is the longest she’s ever called a place home. As a military kid who moved every one to two years, her senior year arrived with yet another move just around the corner. Having family in College Station, she applied to Texas A&M just in case her parents were sent overseas. It was one of the few schools offering performance studies as an undergraduate major and Olivia was immediately drawn to that.
As a fourth-generation Aggie, an official visit wasn’t necessary. She was very familiar with Texas A&M. In fact, her dad — who is a colonel in the Air Force — had his promotion ceremony at the Memorial Student Center so family could be there. And it was during this time that Olivia got a glimpse of campus before making her official decision. Her parents moved to Germany the summer she came to Texas A&M and now, four years later, Olivia says Aggieland is exactly where she belongs.
What is Performance Studies?
Texas A&M is one of the first departments in the U.S. to offer an undergraduate degree in performance studies. As part of this department, Olivia studies and creates performances to understand the human experience.
She describes it as a mode of analysis that combines anthropology, sociology, English, literary analysis, film analysis and women’s and gender studies. The students start with a research question, use performance to go through the process of answering it, analyze what they’ve learned and then do written research.
“As people, performance is part of our everyday lives,” Olivia said. “Whether it's how we choose to get dressed or what media we consume, it's a really integral part of our society and it reflects back certain important things. So, we use performance as the way to find those key takeaways. And we make cool stuff out of it.”
A Star is Born
Coming out of high school, Olivia was torn between acting, dancing, painting and other creative interests. She credits her parents for encouraging her to explore different outlets. Her dad has a Ph.D. and is always reading, writing and brainstorming how ideas fit together. Her mom enjoys scrapbooking, crafting and simply making beautiful things.
“Growing up in that environment, it's hard not to absorb it,” Olivia said. “They've also been really intentional about letting me pursue my creative interests. They've been wholly supportive... and they were the ones who encouraged me to continue to pursue performance studies and make the jump into doing it at the collegiate level. And I've been really thankful for that.”
Olivia has taken her parent’s encouragement and blossomed in the Department of Performance Studies. She conducted an independent study in which she directed a musical. She also has a Google Drive full of current projects — including a creation story from her Chickasaw Nation tribe that she plans to turn into a dance movement piece that will be edited into a short film.
It sounds like a lot, but it’s a group effort. Olivia works mostly with other Aggie students and whenever she needs music, an extra performer or someone to film, she’s been able to rely on that network for support. The Aggie camaraderie is what Oliva loves most about Texas A&M — and it extends beyond students. The low student-to-faculty ratio provides students with an individualized, hands-on educational experience that Olivia has witnessed firsthand.
“Last spring while working on a movement piece, me and my partner got stuck on a certain section,” Olivia said. “Over the next few days, we just emailed a few of the professors and said, ‘Would you like to come by? We need help.’ And they sat in the Black Box Theater with us for an hour to help problem-solve. They're always there. They've been incredibly supportive.”
At Texas A&M, students are given the resources and support needed to succeed. Olivia has surrounded herself with professors and students that she enjoys working with and made “a cozy little creative space to keep pursuing stuff.”
Although Olivia made a home rather easily in Aggieland, she encourages prospective students to be persistent. She said it’s frustrating if you don’t find the perfect fit of people right away, but Texas A&M is a huge campus and she knows there’s a group of people waiting to welcome you with open arms.
As a fourth-generation Aggie, an official visit wasn’t necessary. She was very familiar with Texas A&M. In fact, her dad — who is a colonel in the Air Force — had his promotion ceremony at the Memorial Student Center so family could be there. And it was during this time that Olivia got a glimpse of campus before making her official decision. Her parents moved to Germany the summer she came to Texas A&M and now, four years later, Olivia says Aggieland is exactly where she belongs.
What is Performance Studies?
Texas A&M is one of the first departments in the U.S. to offer an undergraduate degree in performance studies. As part of this department, Olivia studies and creates performances to understand the human experience.
She describes it as a mode of analysis that combines anthropology, sociology, English, literary analysis, film analysis and women’s and gender studies. The students start with a research question, use performance to go through the process of answering it, analyze what they’ve learned and then do written research.
“As people, performance is part of our everyday lives,” Olivia said. “Whether it's how we choose to get dressed or what media we consume, it's a really integral part of our society and it reflects back certain important things. So, we use performance as the way to find those key takeaways. And we make cool stuff out of it.”
A Star is Born
Coming out of high school, Olivia was torn between acting, dancing, painting and other creative interests. She credits her parents for encouraging her to explore different outlets. Her dad has a Ph.D. and is always reading, writing and brainstorming how ideas fit together. Her mom enjoys scrapbooking, crafting and simply making beautiful things.
“Growing up in that environment, it's hard not to absorb it,” Olivia said. “They've also been really intentional about letting me pursue my creative interests. They've been wholly supportive... and they were the ones who encouraged me to continue to pursue performance studies and make the jump into doing it at the collegiate level. And I've been really thankful for that.”
Olivia has taken her parent’s encouragement and blossomed in the Department of Performance Studies. She conducted an independent study in which she directed a musical. She also has a Google Drive full of current projects — including a creation story from her Chickasaw Nation tribe that she plans to turn into a dance movement piece that will be edited into a short film.
It sounds like a lot, but it’s a group effort. Olivia works mostly with other Aggie students and whenever she needs music, an extra performer or someone to film, she’s been able to rely on that network for support. The Aggie camaraderie is what Oliva loves most about Texas A&M — and it extends beyond students. The low student-to-faculty ratio provides students with an individualized, hands-on educational experience that Olivia has witnessed firsthand.
“Last spring while working on a movement piece, me and my partner got stuck on a certain section,” Olivia said. “Over the next few days, we just emailed a few of the professors and said, ‘Would you like to come by? We need help.’ And they sat in the Black Box Theater with us for an hour to help problem-solve. They're always there. They've been incredibly supportive.”
At Texas A&M, students are given the resources and support needed to succeed. Olivia has surrounded herself with professors and students that she enjoys working with and made “a cozy little creative space to keep pursuing stuff.”
Although Olivia made a home rather easily in Aggieland, she encourages prospective students to be persistent. She said it’s frustrating if you don’t find the perfect fit of people right away, but Texas A&M is a huge campus and she knows there’s a group of people waiting to welcome you with open arms.