Sinead Tobin, a junior at West Virginia Wesleyan College, keeps busy with her Musical Theater major and Computer Science Minor in combination with all of her campus activities. Currently, Tobin works as a tutor for the Writing Center on campus. She also serves as the secretary of Sigma Alpha Iota, WVWC’s music honorary, as well as the treasurer of Alpha Psi Omega, the theater honorary.

Alongside these responsibilities, Tobin is a sister of Alpha Gamma Delta. “I love all of these organizations and am grateful to them for all the leadership opportunities I’ve been given, as well as the personal growth I’ve experienced,” she explained. “I love both SAI and APO, because I’m able to work with people who share my passion for music and theatre respectively. Through my sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, I’ve grown a lot since I joined my freshman year. I love spending time with my sisters!”

Additionally, Tobin is the current president of PRISM, WVWC’s queer-straight alliance on campus. When asked about the impact such an organization had on the college, Tobin said this: “PRISM gives queer students a voice. Even if it’s just in meetings, I think it’s really valuable for queer students to be able to talk and let things out with each other. We’ve had some great meetings where I’ve started the conversation with a topic, and then was able to sit back and listen to everyone else open up and talk with one another. That doesn’t sound like much, but I feel like everyone walks away from those meetings feeling lighter. And I think that’s powerful.”

When asked about what drew her to the college, Tobin cited her time at the Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA), a three-week program for rising West Virginia high-school juniors that happened to be held at WVWC when Tobin went. “I went to GSA here at Wesleyan in 2015 and had a great experience with the staff,” she said. “I loved being able to work with like-minded people, and I loved the importance that was placed on interdisciplinary studies.” The desire to have that experience again pushed her to come back to WVWC for college.

When asked about her plans after graduation and her future goals, Tobin admitted to being unsure about where she was headed next, whether that be to grad school for a Master’s in Theater for Young Audiences or straight into a career. “Career-wise, I want to continue working in theatre. I want to help develop new works with new voices. Theatre is a collaborative form of art for sure, and I love the feeling of a new project coming together through the efforts of a whole group of people. It’s absolutely thrilling,” she said.

She also noted what an important role theater had in her life growing up. “I’d also love to be able to work with kids, because being on stage really helped me come out of my shell as a child, and it would be awesome to be able to pass that on.”
Story written by Ali Householder, sophomore intern at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Photo by Elijah DuPonty.