Student Spotlight: Josie Gawrys

When junior Josie Gawrys arrived at Castleton University, she knew she wanted to turn her passion for theater – particularly the behindthe-scenes work that goes into a successful production – into a career. But in her first weeks on campus, she overheard her student orientation staff leader encouraging other students to learn more about The Spartan, Castleton’s student-run newspaper.

“At that point, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be interested in it, but I sort of saw it as a way to branch out and make friends because the one thing that they tell you when you’re first coming in for your first year, for your first semester, is ‘get yourself out there … try a bunch of things … get involved,’” Gawrys said. “I took that to heart. At the beginning, it was just going to Spartan meetings and helping to edit the print version on weekends, but then I got more into writing, and I realized that I really enjoyed it.”

Gawrys now spends her days in both the Fine Arts Center and Leavenworth Hall, double majoring in Technical Theater and Design and Media and Communication.

“I chose Castleton for its theater department. All of the professors are very kind and very understanding, and genuinely care about their students and wanting to see them grow,” she said.

“I can say as a sophomore I’ve had opportunities to stage-manage shows. I can say, going out into the world after college, that I’ve already stage-managed a handful of shows. Our professors are making sure that we’re prepared for a career in what we’re studying.

As a Media & Communication major, Gawrys’ byline has appeared in a number of local and statewide publications, including VTDigger as part of The Underground Workshop, a network of students and teachers from across the state collaborating to publish student-journalists work.

Read the full story: CASTLETON.EDU/JOSIE