Special to The Swellesley Report courtesy of the Wellesley High School Bradford and Parents of Performing Students (POPS). This is one in a series of POPS senior profiles we’ll be publishing.
Nick Ashraf ’22 believes there is a clear difference between an inspiration and a supporter. To him, an inspiration could be anyone, such as Chris Evans, the actor who portrays Marvel’s Captain America. A supporter, however, is something stronger to Ashraf. The biggest supporters in his life are his family members. Although they may not be personally interested in theatre themselves, they will undoubtedly come to every show and support Ashraf in pursuing his goals.
Ashraf has been participating in theatre since around first grade through his senior year of high school. At Wellesley Middle School, Ashraf was a part of his first school show where he first got a taste of the on-stage buzz from performing multiple days in a row.
From the beginning, Ashraf has been inspiring those around him, especially viewers in the audience. In a separate interview, Nora Jarquin ‘22, one of Ashraf’s close friends and a fellow performer, describes the role he played in influencing the beginning of her personal performing arts experience. “You can tell that he’s put his whole soul into his performance. So I hope to do that too with my work after watching him do it for so long and be so seemingly competent—knowing himself so well that he knows how to put himself into these things.” says Jarquin.
Entering high school, Ashraf became increasingly involved in the performing arts community. He found passion and joy in being part of the close knit community at WHS and quickly found a strong group of friends.
“I think both in general and at the high school, it’s really inclusive, and you can always find some smaller group that you’re friends with and make really close friends. But then overall, you’re always friends with everybody just because you see each other every single day for like five hours a day,” said Ashraf.
Not only has Ashraf found a community within the Performing Arts department, but he has found a creative outlet for himself. Acting is his way of releasing pent up emotions and learning how to empathize with people through his characters. “I think it’s my way of expressing myself. If I’m having some sort of off day, I always try to think of how I can bring it to rehearsal and use it. Especially if I’m super angry about something and then I have a scene where a character starts yelling at somebody, then I’m going to be actually yelling,” said Ashraf.
While being able to escape into the world of theater may help Ashraf when times get hard, having a supportive figure gives the additional backing that one may sometimes need. Kara Sullivan, the drama teacher at Wellesley High School, is like a second mother to Ashraf. Their close knit relationship has grown from middle school all the way up to the exciting college acceptance phone call. “He’s a very feeling person. He very much wears emotions on his sleeve, which is a really great thing for him. I’ve seen him learn how to balance his drama in life, which we all have. Being able to separate the drama on and off stage is sometimes hard to do, especially at the high school level,” says Sullivan.
Throughout his experience, and especially during junior year, Ashraf has supported and mentored younger singers, especially those in his a cappella group, Inchordination, where he provides the same guidance he was once given by older singers. However, he is also able to bring out a sentimental and vulnerable side to teachers. “He’s taught me to be more vulnerable, and he’s taught me to recognize that everybody has a story and when you walk into a room. You don’t know what that person’s story is,” says Sullivan.
To Ashraf, leaving Wellesley High School is a bittersweet feeling. He feels that the Performing Arts department has nurtured his love for acting, but he also feels ready to take on new experiences and challenges. “The department has kind of made me who I am both as a person and a performer,” said Ashraf.
Ashraf will be attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts this coming fall of 2022 as part of the class of 2026. He hopes to continue to pursue his goals of acting through theatre performance.
WHS Bradford staff: Clementine Zei ’24, Special Projects News Editor, and Fiona Zhou ’24, Staff Writer.
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