Indigo graduated from Pathways in Kingston in 2018 and is currently volunteering as a Pathways alumni ambassador. Through Pathways, Indigo found an early opportunity to volunteer with a theatre company where they discovered their passion, leading them to enrol in Concordia University’s Theatre Design program. After completing university, Indigo looks forward to working in the arts while continuing to volunteer in their community.
Indigo was no stranger to Pathways Kingston when they joined in the eighth grade, but the prospect of meeting new people for the first time was intimidating. “All of my siblings went through Pathways, so I was both really excited to go and terrified to meet new people,” Indigo explains. “But that all changed quickly when I started going to Pathways and participating in creative projects. Volunteers would come over and ask, ‘Oh, what are you doing?’ And then people would join that conversation, which was really great.”
Through socializing at Pathways, Indigo became more confident and started to build a network of resources. When, a few years into high school, they discovered an interest in theatre design, tapping into their Pathways network felt like the right move—and it was no longer intimidating. “I was at Pathways tutoring one evening and I asked whether anyone knew of opportunities to get volunteer hours in theatre costume design,” Indigo recalls. “And one of the tutors said, ‘Of course, I’ll get you connected.’ That’s how I started, and I never stopped after that.”
This time at the local theatre company wasn’t just the beginning of Indigo’s career in theatre design: it was also a way into volunteerism. Since then, Indigo has volunteered in different theatre companies to get involved in their community and build professional experience. “In theatre, it helps to volunteer throughout school,” Indigo explains. “It’s important for those in the community to get to know you.”
Indigo looks forward to working in theatre design after graduating from university, but it’s not the end of their volunteering journey by any means. In fact, Indigo recently started volunteering as a Pathways Alumni Ambassador. In this role, they look forward to interacting with alumni community members, discovering their needs, and promoting the supports available to them. It’s a logical next step for this Pathways alum, who has grown from overcoming their shyness to interacting with community members and now volunteering in a leadership role. “When a friend from Pathways reached out about the ambassador role and asked me to consider it, I took some time to think about it,” Indigo recalls. “I realized that given how much Pathways has done for me, I should help in any way that I can.”