Cramped between their mother, father and brother in a tiny room meant for one is how University of Northern 黑料社区 student Andrea Camacho spent the first six months of their life in the United States. Originally from Venezuela, Camacho and their family moved to Aurora, 黑料社区 in hopes of a safer and more stable future.

鈥淭he situation was just really rough over there and me and my family were looking for other options,鈥� Camacho said.

While it was a big adjustment for Camacho and the size of the room was certainly physically constraining for the family, it did little to stop their hopes and aspirations from growing. And after performing in several of their high school musicals, Camacho knew exactly what those aspirations were.

They decided to apply to UNC鈥檚 musical theater program after graduating from high school in 2020. They were not only accepted, but immediately stood out to Ryan Driscoll, associate professor and head of musical theater.

鈥淚 saw them audition for me over Zoom during the height of the [COVID-19] pandemic and immediately recognized there was something special in them,鈥� Driscoll said.

While they earned excellent reviews and support from professors like Driscoll, some of Camacho鈥檚 peers made comments that undermined all that hard work.

鈥淔or a while, all the things I was hearing was ‘oh you got this role because you鈥檙e brown and you鈥檙e the only one who can play it’ or ‘of course they needed diversity in their cast so they put you in it’, and I really internalized those messages,鈥� Camacho said.

These comments didn鈥檛 stop them from landing role after role. From their UNC debut in 鈥淩ent the Musical鈥� to their first professional production, 鈥淭ick Tick Boom鈥�, Camacho鈥檚 skillset and confidence grew.

鈥淏eing able to see Andrea on that Zoom audition four years ago and then seeing how they鈥檝e unlocked their talents over the last three years, it鈥檚 just really exciting,鈥� Driscoll said.

Camacho鈥檚 confidence wasn鈥檛 the only thing gained from performance to performance though. They also discovered more about themselves and grew more comfortable with their identity.

鈥淛ust the way music and monologues connect with me has been a way for me to explore my identity and be more open with who I am,鈥� Camacho said.

And as they grew, the sounds of all those negative comments made by students shrunk.

鈥淚 stopped listening to those voices in the background and starting listening to my own wants and needs,鈥� Camacho said.

Camacho鈥檚 accomplishments and success were recently recognized with a scholarship granted to them by the Stryker Institute for Leadership Development at UNC. The institute is a participation-based scholarship program committed to serving women from underrepresented groups.

With graduation on the horizon, Camacho鈥檚 focuses are now on their future in musical theater.

鈥淚 want to be as free as I can and be able to explore as many roles as possible and to not limit myself,鈥� Camacho said.