I Am Knox -- Bryan Valencia '15

Photo by Evan Temchin '10

I am Knox -- Bryan Valencia '15

Vitals
Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Majors: Creative Writing and Dance (Minor)
Campus Involvements: Project Manager of Improv Club, President of the Inter-Fraternity Council, Sigma Chi, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Co-President of Simon Sez, Choreographer/Dancer in Terpsichore Dance Collective
Class Year: 2015

Three Facts About Bryan

1. He spent his summer at Sportsman's Cove Lodge in Ketchikan, Alaska, where he worked as a chef and did nightly sets of stand-up comedy.
2. His favorite thing to cook is seafood. While in Alaska, he even went crabbing!
3. He thought he was going to be an engineer, but soon after coming to Knox he found his way into the dance program, where he began to understand who he was as a performer and a student.

How did your job as a chef at Sportsman's Cove influence your future plans?
I think I needed this just to validate the fact that I don't want to be a chef. Ultimately, I'd like to find my way into comedy. I was able to do stand-up comedy for the guests at the lodge, and that was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in my life. Each meal the chef introduced the menu for the day, but one day she was really busy and she sent me out there. I'd been doing stand-up for a couple months by then, so I started talking about the menu but working in my own stand-up. By the end of the season, I was doing new 10-20-minute sets for the guests almost every day. It was a daunting task but it was able to push me to a new appreciation, not just for the environment I was in, but for what I wanted to do with the experience I had gotten here at Knox.

What has been your favorite class at Knox?
By far, Theory and Improvisation, a dance course taught by Jennifer Smith. I come from a very athletic background. Everything I had done was martial arts or wrestling or soccer. Being able to combine this into a creative outlet helped me channel my creative energy and my willingness to perform, along with helping me understand who I was as a performer and a student.

What is your most memorable experience at Knox?
The collective experience of the people you are able to meet. I came to Knox feeling like I knew who I was by way of my friends and family, and being taken away from that and introduced to so many new opinions and so many new faces and so many new cultures, I got a better sense of who I am.