SPA student takes top arts award at Student Symposium

The School of Performing Arts is proud to announce that Emily Voight, a senior theatre major and member of the Honors College, was named the undergraduate winner in the Arts category for this year’s Student Symposium Award. Her project, titled Drowning in Air, was completed under the guidance of her advisor, Division of Theatre and Dance faculty member Alexis Foster.

Emily Voight’s film delves into the emotional aftermath of tragedy, following a teenager’s journey through long-term trauma and healing. Through the lens of therapy, the story explores the quiet resilience required to reclaim joy and rebuild a sense of normalcy. The film offers a poignant look at the universal struggle to find light after darkness.

From the abstract:

“My project will be a student film, loosely based on a true story, that explores coming to terms with a tragedy and how a young woman continues to live with the trauma of what she witnessed. Though this is not my personal story, I am producing it in response to trauma in my own life. I do not intend to depict a specific illness or event but rather to explore how someone copes in the aftermath of experiencing something horrible and how it affects their ability to live, be productive, and find happiness.”

Along with Voight, the film stars Grace Carlson, Nnenaya Lewis, Cecilia Andrade, Sean Schweizer, and Shelby and Grace Philips.

A screening of Drowning in Air is scheduled for April 25 at 7 PM in the Black Box Theater in Class of 1944 Hall. Admission is free.