When Fe Miranda (they/them/theirs) signed up to sing for their middle school talent show on a whim, they didn’t know music and the arts would end up changing their life.
“Something clicked and I wanted to keep doing it forever,” said Miranda, a rising junior and music education major at George Mason University.
Music also helped them find themselves, they said.
“[Being part of musical theatre] was the first time I’d been around a lot of LGBTQ and people of color,” Miranda said. “It helped me be more confident in myself and what I wanted to do in college and as a career.”
That includes sharing the transformative power of the arts.
“I want to share music and the arts with students and young people who may not have access, and help students feel like part of the community,” Miranda said. “That’s how I felt growing up whenever I was in a music class, a theatre camp, or in any kind of art space.”
Since coming to Mason, Miranda said they have been passionate about creating other kinds of inclusive spaces, particularly as a Patriot Leader and member of several music and LGBTQ+ organizations on campus, such as Pride Alliance.
“I became a Patriot Leader along the same lines as why I want to be an educator,” Miranda said. “I wanted to make incoming students feel comfortable and welcome and accepted at Mason, and the Office of New Student and Family Programs is one of the most accepting and inclusive spaces on campus.”
There are still areas of growth needed for the LGBTQ+ community at Mason, Miranda said, but they remain thankful.
“My absolute favorite thing about Mason is the amount of places where you can build community,” Miranda said. “You can really branch out and do whatever you want.”
Join Mason’s Lambda Alumni chapter for a Pride Trivia Night, June 30, 5-6:30 p.m., via Zoom. Register here.