Alexos Carabas

Chapman University, Orange, California

Screen Acting BFA Program

Despite his extensive history in the field, Alexos Carabas did not always know he wanted to pursue acting after high school. Carabas did not begin acting at the level he is at now until the end of his junior year, and since then, he has been set on entering the industry.

Being a part of the theater program for all four years of high school, Carabas thanks Trisha Todd, Grant High School’s theater teacher. Todd has helped him prepare for auditions by providing him with monologues and helpful feedback. Carabas recalls receiving feedback from Todd as the most supportive part of preparing for auditions. Her ability to test her actors’ limits and push them to explore themselves in new ways is a significant part of this.

Carabas notes that his favorite moment from being part of the Grant theater department was performing his master scene in class

a few months ago. A master scene is the final performance senior theater students will do in class. The process is prolonged, giving students time to dive deep into their characters and their scenes. “I got super into the character, enough that nothing else was there … I did not even realize until it was over and that was just a really awesome experience,” says Carabas.

Chapman University’s screen acting program is highly competitive, with an acceptance rate of 7%. The process of being admitted into Chapman University, while appearing stressful, excited Carabas. The opportunity and possibility of studying screen acting was exhilarating. To audition for Chapman, Carabas submitted a self-tape

and then flew to California to complete an audition in person. Having done programs at University of California, Los Angeles, and Occidental College, Carabas has been able to practice his screen acting skills and has been in many short films directed by fellow students. In addition to experience in these programs, he has been in film acting roles in the Portland area. “I just want to have the opportunity to showcase what I can do in the future, and see if I have what it takes,” says Carabas.

Ivy Chiavarini

Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington

Theater

Theater has almost always been a part of Ivy Chiavarini’s life, and once she started ninth grade at Grant, she was able to explore the field beyond just the acting element, working in the tech theater area as well. She has found that she simply loves every aspect of theater and what it has to offer, particularly the professionalism and community within the Grant theater program.

Her favorite memory from doing theater at Grant was the first production she ever performed in at Grant: a One Acts comedy performance her freshman year called “The Spot.” She formed significant bonds with the cast and went on to be involved in multiple more Grant Theater classes and productions during her four years, either as an actor or on tech crew.

Chiavarini is excited to explore multiple fields during her time in college at Western Washington University, including STEM, but with a strong focus on pursuing theater, most likely as a major.

She says theater is “one of those things that’s like a working machine, while also being an art form, while also being a like sport, because it is super tiring, whether you’re acting or moving stuff or building stuff … and it eventually comes together into … some sort of art piece that can be shared with other people.”

Kestrel Gabbert

DigiPen Institute of Technology, Redmond, Washington

Music and Sound Design

When Kestrel Gabbert arrived at Grant his sophomore year, he had very little experience in music. Hoping to make new friends, he joined Grant’s band program. In his pursuit of a music education at Grant, Gabbert found that many of his teachers had immense faith in his growth, including band director Chris McCurdy and audio engineering teacher Branic Howard. Both gave constant encouragement for Gabbert to advance in music, which helped lead him to pursue other musical programs, such as Grant Choir and a sound cohort outside of school.

His experiences and improvement at Grant led him to be accepted into multiple music schools, though he ultimately decided on the DigiPen Institute of Technology. Despite a special interest in video game music and sound, Gabbert’s decision was almost entirely dependent on the best scholarship.

The art form has connected Gabbert not only to multiple schools and programs but also to individuals who share the same passion for music as he does. Gabbert’s favorite part about pursuing music at Grant was utilizing the art to create community, connect, and give others a voice. He also enjoyed participating in Grantasia and collaborating with other performing artists to make music together. “I like how music connects me with people,” he says. “I can name several professionals I’ve worked with because I’ve been given opportunities, and it’s just really cool to have these opportunities.”

Hadley Youngers

University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

Theater

Hadley Youngers has participated in theater since she was a child. Youngers had been in theater classes at Grant since her sophomore year, performing in “Big Love,” the school’s fall play, her junior year. It wasn’t until after performing in Grant’s 2025 production of “Sense and Sensibility,” that she realized she wanted to pursue theater in college.

Soon after performing in the fall play, Youngers began the audition process for multiple schools in California. For San Diego State University, she had to film herself performing two monologues alongside a written application. “I basically had those monologues memorized and performance-ready because I’d done them in class … And then (in Grant) theater also, we do so many mock auditions and just auditioning for performances,” says Youngers. Although she was very busy during the audition window, support from her senior theater class and Trisha Todd, Grant’s theater teacher, helped her to confidently film and submit her auditions in one day.

In the future, Youngers knows theater will be a prevalent part of her life, even if shedoesn’t pursue it as a career. “I mean … that would be awesome if (I) could be winning an Oscar and (be an) actress. But that’s not necessarily realistic. So I think it’ll always be a part in my life, however that happens,” says Youngers.

Youngers urges anyone considering participating in Grant Theater to do so. She describes herself as a completely changed person from when she first entered the program, with valuable skills and a significant increase in confidence that she gained through her involvement in the theater program.