the arts come alive 8 AQUINAS LANDMARK | WINTER 2026 Looking back, how did your time in the AQ Arts shape your confidence, creativity, or sense of self? “I honestly didn’t really know where I t in at AQ when I rst got there. I didn’t come from a Catholic school background, so I didn’t know many people when I arrived. But from the second I hit the stage in any sense—whether improv, dance, or chorus—I felt myself come alive. It made everything else so much less intimidating. Performance unlocked something in me.” That rst feeling—of comfort, con dence, and connection—became a turning point. The stage o ered Malcolm something many students quietly search for: a place where he felt fully himself. Was there a specific moment, performance, or mentor at AQ that helped you realize the arts could play a meaningful role in your life? “There wasn’t just one mentor at AQ. Freshman year, Mr. Richard Durham asked me to join the very rst improv comedy troupe. It opened my eyes to all that could be done with comedy— crafting stories in real time, creating worlds that had never been explored and never would be again. From there, the oodgates opened. Mr. Je Wilson encouraged me to join chorus and nd my voice. Ms. Donna Damelio Brett taught me how to tell stories through movement and dance. And Mrs. Mary Krickmire tied it all together with acting and theatre. I would do anything for them—they helped me unlock my true potential.” Together, these mentors created something larger than any one performance: an environment where creativity was encouraged, risk was welcomed, and potential was recognized before students even saw it themselves. How do you see the skills you gained through the arts reflected in your work today? “Oh man—all the time. Lately, I’ve been trying to give back and pass on some of the skills I learned from my mentors at AQ.” Malcolm now volunteers with Young Storytellers in Los Angeles, where writers and actors visit local elementary schools to teach students how to tell stories through screenwriting. The program culminates in live performances of the students’ work by professional actors and comedians. “For the last ve years, I’ve also been professionally running games of Dungeons & Dragons. Last year, I started working with a company that runs camps, after-school programs, and private events—helping kids and adults learn collaborative storytelling through fantasy. Helping people nd that love of storytelling so early truly felt like a full-circle moment for me. I want to pay it forward the way my Aquinas mentors did.” What might surprise people about how the AQ Arts prepared you for a career in stand-up, writing, and performance? “Improv comedy is the most valuable tool in my life! It’s gotten me further than anything else. I apply it everywhere. It’s helped me on some of the biggest, toughest stages in standup. It’s helped my writing process. I’ve even used it in job interviews. More than anything, it taught me to swing for the fences as much as possible—and it all started after school at Aquinas.” If you could say one thing to current AQ students involved in the arts, what would you want them to know? “There is no true timeline for the arts. Success is not linear. I’ve been working in performance since high school. It was ve years into comedy before I started touring. I didn’t get an agent for writing until after 30. But it never felt like it took a long time, because I loved what I was doing every step of the way—even when it was hard. As cliché as it sounds, as long as you feel excited about what you’re creating, the time just ies by.” Malcolm’s journey is a reminder that the arts are not con ned to a stage, a script, or a single performance. They quietly shape con dence, nurture creativity, and give students tools that surface years later—in careers, in service, and in how they show up in the world. Not every Aquinas story is visible right away. Some continue to unfold long after graduation. Thank you, Malcolm, for sharing your story. More Than Play Some of the most powerful AQ stories don’t end at graduation—they quietly continue, unfolding years later. For Malcolm Whitfield ’11, the lessons learned through AQ Theatre, Dance, and Chorus didn’t simply shape his high school experience; they became the foundation for how he finds his voice, tells stories, and gives back today. What began as an uncertain search for belonging became a lifelong relationship with the arts—one that still echoes far beyond the stage. What may look like play from the outside—improv games, rehearsal, laughter, creative risk—was in fact preparation for real-world confidence and adaptability.
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