“I’m eternally grateful to have inhabited the lair of love LMU created for me…There is not a single person at LMU who doesn’t deeply desire to leave a positive mark on this world; to set the world on fire with grace and unity.”
With graduation upon us, we spoke to some of CFA’s talented #LMU21 graduates as they gear up to leave LMU and take on the world. In our We Love Our Grads series, we asked a graduating student from each of our departments to reflect on their time here, as well as share their plans for the future.
Alan Corvaia ’21
Major: Theatre Arts
Career Goals: Create and share artistic movements
What led you to becoming a theatre arts major at LMU?
I feel like many signs throughout my journey have pointed the way to where I stand today. My dad’s passing six years ago was a defining factor that pushed me to leave Venezuela and pursue a career abroad that would fulfill me deep inside. Yet, I didn’t know what that was until a dear friend of mine literally dragged me into a theater. Months later, another friend suggested me to enroll in LMU, then the rest is history. Puzzle pieces keep falling into the right places and the bigger images have been revealed to me at the right times. All of which I’m grateful for and in all honestly, these signs are what keep motivating my way. I have realized over the years, that no matter where you end up, there is a deeper truth within all of us that will never betray our passion. No matter what happens, you will end up making and creating the dream you were meant to make.
Tell us about your career goals and aspirations.
I want to enlighten people with their truth. I want to collaborate and create with the artists that live inside all of us. I want to gather people from all walks of life and connect them to themselves and each other. So we can nurture our creativity together, so we can learn to see pass judgement and realize the beauty that lives within all of us. I will do this with an artistic movement I have created called 98% Original. This platform will extend across all mediums of expression (from the marks of poetry and film to the intricacies of dance and language). We will learn to collaborate, and we will drive away all the darkness that plagues this world. We will learn to be as one. And this is also true for everything I will keep doing through my art, through the art pieces I will exhibit, through the movies I make and through the projects I direct. Everything will come from love and it will be for love.
What is your favorite thing about LMU?
I’m eternally grateful to have inhabited the lair of love LMU created for me. So many beautiful people have gifted me with unforgettable experiences here, on this grounds, and that’s my favorite thing about it. The connectedness I have felt with people here. I don’t believe it’s just the friendly weather, the quality of the programs, the professors, Los Angeles, or the faith. I believe it’s all of that and more.
There is a sense of vulnerability I have been able to express and share with this community and as a result, I have felt an unconditional love that has inspired me to plant seeds of peace. Even talking to the people that work to keep the campus relishing, I cannot help but feel our connectedness on this plane. There is not a single flower that doesn’t smell like love. There is not a single mentor or educator who doesn’t want their students to learn. There is not a single person at LMU who doesn’t deeply desire to leave a positive mark on this world; to set the world on fire with grace and unity. And although my answer may seem like a love letter, I’m just merely trying to recreate a snip it of the feelings I have gathered through the years. I’m not even from this country, but right here and now I’ve been reminded that I belong to this community and everywhere in the entire world.
What advice do you have for underclassmen?
Don’t run. There is no use for it. Anything you want in this life will be there waiting for you and it will come when the moment is right. As a matter of fact, it’s happening right here and right now. If you are reading these words just remember to take step back from the noise and see the beauty that’s around you. Feel the people that surround you; hear the birds that calm you; and connect. Connect with yourself and the passion that bounds you.
At the end of the day, you don’t have to believe everything they say or anything I say. And don’t believe everything you tell yourself. Don’t believe the self-doubt and the suffering you put yourself through because, believe it or not, you are far greater than anything material in this world. You have a gift that will shine through no matter how many times you fall on your back. For all is worth, just smile, smile to yourself because you are here alive making this life more meaningful.