It’s not every day that you’ll hear a high school student say that she’s stepping back from one of her passions as she prepares for her future, but Alexis White has plans and she’s taking the right steps to see them through.
White, a senior at Hazelwood Central High School, is taking a break from the stage – the main stage – to get ready for college to pursue her other passion – business. At school, she is involved in theatre, Future Business Leaders of America, Student Advisory Team and National Honor Society.
As a college student, she plans to major in business and finance, and was accepted to the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In the coming days, she will interview for a scholarship. Last summer, she spent a week at Indiana University at the Junior Executive Institute (JEI) to enhance her understanding of business.
Since the summer of 2005, White has participated in four main stage productions with The Black Rep. Last fall, she had roles in “Hairspray” and “Black Nativity” with her sister, Tyler, a sophomore.
Theatre has been a part of her life for years and she enjoys the experience.
“It’s not me on stage. I get to be a different person. It’s a chance to be someone else or live in a different time,” said White.
Her favorite role was being the narrator and an actor in “Crumbs from the Table of Joy.” She and her sister auditioned for the role of sisters in the play. Alexis was also picked to be a narrator.
“I was surprised. I wasn’t sure I could do it,” White said. “It was my first non-singing, non-dancing role. I had to do the narration and be on stage.”
“I’d do it again,” she said.
Business has been a part of her life, too.
“So many people around me have their own business. My mother owned a business. She worked from home and I got a chance to see her efforts firsthand,” White said.
Her interest in business is why she participated in JEI. The program gave her the chance to work with a team of students to develop a business and financial plan. Their business idea involved home security and technology, which they presented to JEI organizers and other professionals.
“The main thing I learned is that it takes a lot to run a business. There are lots of components that need to come together to make it work. There are aspects that I didn’t know,” White said.
She also learned that working with other people “is an important aspect in business. You can’t do everything by yourself. You have to have a good team.”
Her dream job is “to own a business and somehow tie theatre into it.”
Until then, she will “step back and focus on school.” She is enrolled in advanced placement English and is participating in the 1818 program through Saint Louis University, and will take the AP exam.
White is “excited” about graduating from high school and looks forward to “being independent.” But for now, she says that she’s calm. As the months go by, she knows changes are coming, like not being on stage with her sister.
“It’s going to be weird not doing a show together,” she said. Tyler will be in her first play without Alexis in the HCHS spring musical, “Grease.”
She’s ready for college, and her future, for many reasons, including her experience as a student in the Hazelwood School District.
“There are good people in Hazelwood. I’ve had many teachers who have helped prepare me each year, and even beyond that,” said White.