\u201cWe looked at ways to improve their quality of life while they\u2019re battling this thing that\u2019s inside of them,\u201d Sherwood said. \u201cI got to see quantifiable results that could have an impact in my lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then there\u2019s the impact that comes from theater. Sherwood got involved with University Theatre<\/a> as soon as she arrived on campus for her first year at NC State. She\u2019d discovered a passion for theater as a student at Cary High School and wanted to continue exploring that interest.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was still very new to me, but it was something I knew I couldn\u2019t leave behind,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to keep exploring \u2013 there was something in my gut that was telling me that it was part of who I was.\u201d<\/p>\n While at NC State in 2018, she was awarded both the Performing Artist Award and Creative Artist Award for theater, supported by the Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf Endowment for Creativity in the Performing Arts. That award came with a $500 stipend and $1,000 to fund the production of a play Sherwood had written.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was really transformative for me because it was a very personal story that I wanted to share,\u201d Sherwood said. \u201c[The play] centered around mental health, and it facilitated a lot of thoughtful conversation about coming of age, how that affects mental health, and how do we approach that.\u201d<\/p>\n Sherwood speaks openly about facing her own mental health challenges while at NC State. At one point she took a break from university life to take care of herself.<\/p>\n \u201cThe play was a chance to feel empowered about a difficult things that I went through,\u201d she said. \u201cI was able to express what I went through to help others.\u201d<\/p>\n Which is where the theme of helping others comes back into play.<\/p>\n As part of NC State\u2019s Open Door Series<\/a>, Sherwood also participated in a production called \u201cExonerated,\u201d which focused on people who had spent time in prison for crimes they had not committed. Sherwood found that audience members were coming away from performances of \u201cExonerated\u201d and her play, \u201cA Good Little Rain<\/a>,\u201d thinking about the plays\u2019 topics and having important conversations.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was incredible as an artist, and as a young adult \u2013 seeing the immediate, visible change in people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The experiences, and audience reactions, affected her too. This summer\u2019s theater intensive is through the Atlantic Acting School. Sherwood hopes to return to New York City in the future to work with Stella Adler Studio of Acting. That group does outreach at Rikers Island Correctional Facility, working on theater performances with inmates and, in Sherwood\u2019s words, \u201cbringing art and creativity to people that really need it.\u201d<\/p>\n Funding from Arts NC State also allowed her the opportunity to attend the Southeast Theater Conference for four years in a row, where she auditioned for theater companies, participated in workshops and discussions, and found out about the Atlantic Acting School program.<\/p>\n \u201cThat really gave me a chance to see that there is a fulfilling career in the arts, if that\u2019s something you\u2019re really passionate about,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Circling back to her passion for helping others as related to her degree, Sherwood said she plans to return to North Carolina when the acting intensive ends and pursue a job that fits with her major.<\/p>\n Innovative and forward thinking initiatives in the Wilson College of Textiles got her excited for what\u2019s next. Sherwood said the college, which received a naming gift through the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign during her senior year, is truly unique in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re doing innovative things, and they\u2019re focused on more than productivity and profit,\u201d she said. \u201cAny class I took asked the question of how this is impacting the environment \u2013 what are we leaving behind if we use this dye on this material, for example.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a cycle of helping everyone along the way and being conscious of our impact.\u201d<\/p>\n This post was originally published<\/a> in Giving News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"Natalie Sherwood graduated from NC State in May with a bachelor\u2019s degree in polymer and color chemistry and headed to New York City for a two-month, summer theater intensive.\r\n\r\nWhen she tells people about her two passions, they often fail to see a relationship between the two.\r\n\r\nBut it turns out there is one: helping people.\r\n\r\nSherwood pursued her degree in the Wilson College of Textiles<\/a> because she was passionate about improving the lives of people who are dealing with illness. She participated in research that examined more targeted drug delivery for cancer patients and ways to eliminate unnecessary side effects.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe looked at ways to improve their quality of life while they\u2019re battling this thing that\u2019s inside of them,\u201d Sherwood said. \u201cI got to see quantifiable results that could have an impact in my lifetime.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnd then there\u2019s the impact that comes from theater. Sherwood got involved with University Theatre<\/a> as soon as she arrived on campus for her first year at NC State. She\u2019d discovered a passion for theater as a student at Cary High School and wanted to continue exploring that interest.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt was still very new to me, but it was something I knew I couldn\u2019t leave behind,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to keep exploring \u2013 there was something in my gut that was telling me that it was part of who I was.\u201d\r\n\r\n NC State alumna Natalie Sherwood makes a connection between her love for theater and her love of polymer and color chemistry \u2013 with a little boost from philanthropy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":28070,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"caption\":\"\",\"displayCategoryID\":2149}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[489,742],"tags":[2054,2055,1382,507],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"![\"Natalie](\"https:\/\/campaign.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/SHERWOOD-Natalie-2018-04-1-200x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\r\n\r\nWhile at NC State in 2018, she was awarded both the Performing Artist Award and Creative Artist Award for theater, supported by the Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf Endowment for Creativity in the Performing Arts. That award came with a $500 stipend and $1,000 to fund the production of a play Sherwood had written.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat was really transformative for me because it was a very personal story that I wanted to share,\u201d Sherwood said. \u201c[The play] centered around mental health, and it facilitated a lot of thoughtful conversation about coming of age, how that affects mental health, and how do we approach that.\u201d\r\n\r\nSherwood speaks openly about facing her own mental health challenges while at NC State. At one point she took a break from university life to take care of herself.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe play was a chance to feel empowered about a difficult things that I went through,\u201d she said. \u201cI was able to express what I went through to help others.\u201d\r\n\r\nWhich is where the theme of helping others comes back into play.\r\n\r\nAs part of NC State\u2019s Open Door Series<\/a>, Sherwood also participated in a production called \u201cExonerated,\u201d which focused on people who had spent time in prison for crimes they had not committed. Sherwood found that audience members were coming away from performances of \u201cExonerated\u201d and her play, \u201cA Good Little Rain<\/a>,\u201d thinking about the plays\u2019 topics and having important conversations.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat was incredible as an artist, and as a young adult \u2013 seeing the immediate, visible change in people,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nThe experiences, and audience reactions, affected her too. This summer\u2019s theater intensive is through the Atlantic Acting School. Sherwood hopes to return to New York City in the future to work with Stella Adler Studio of Acting. That group does outreach at Rikers Island Correctional Facility, working on theater performances with inmates and, in Sherwood\u2019s words, \u201cbringing art and creativity to people that really need it.\u201d\r\n\r\nFunding from Arts NC State also allowed her the opportunity to attend the Southeast Theater Conference for four years in a row, where she auditioned for theater companies, participated in workshops and discussions, and found out about the Atlantic Acting School program.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat really gave me a chance to see that there is a fulfilling career in the arts, if that\u2019s something you\u2019re really passionate about,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nCircling back to her passion for helping others as related to her degree, Sherwood said she plans to return to North Carolina when the acting intensive ends and pursue a job that fits with her major.\r\n\r\nInnovative and forward thinking initiatives in the Wilson College of Textiles got her excited for what\u2019s next. Sherwood said the college, which received a naming gift through the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign during her senior year, is truly unique in the country.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey\u2019re doing innovative things, and they\u2019re focused on more than productivity and profit,\u201d she said. \u201cAny class I took asked the question of how this is impacting the environment \u2013 what are we leaving behind if we use this dye on this material, for example.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey have a cycle of helping everyone along the way and being conscious of our impact.\u201d"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"