Changing majors: From plastic surgery to dance

Student achieves leaps and bounds through scholarship support

Samuel Horning’s first interest at Wayne State was plastic surgery. In a turn of events, he discovered the dance program and was fascinated.

However, he had some financial concerns about being a dance student. How will he go about changing majors? Will he be able to afford prolonging his education? What will a dance career look like?

When the dance department offered him a talent scholarship and a Maggie Allesee scholarship, he gained the confidence to pursue his passion.

Now a senior about to graduate, Samuel reflects on the opportunities he experienced at Wayne State.

Where's the party at?

I really appreciate that Wayne State is more of a commuter university. I was never interested in attending a college that was a party school in which the purpose of college—education— was forgotten. I wanted to be certain that my hard-earned money was going toward my future.

Money on the mind

I would not be able to feel focused on my education if I was not financially stable. My scholarships have been crucial in providing opportunities for me to further my education and have presented connections for my future career. I even have summer funding to travel and pursue research my field.

On the main stage

During my junior year in the dance department, I was afforded the opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and The Joyce in New York. These opportunities are extremely rare and unprecedented for dance students. It was because of the fantastic faculty and the connections they created between the students and professionals in the field that allowed for these opportunities. I now plan to live and dance in Washington, D.C. after college, and I will be traveling back and forth from New York City.

Leading the way

I am the current president of the Dance Workshop, a student-produced company that gives members a creative outlet to choreograph, perform and grow as artists. The company aims to embody all characteristics of a professional dance company including showcase, outreach, fundraising, and publicity responsibilities. I am also the personal assistant to Jeffrey Rebudal, Area Head in the Department of Dance.

Happy hobbies

Free time is sparse, but I try to leave behind my thoughts as an artist as often as possible. I love to be outside to provide a temporary escape from the walls of a studio. I enjoy hiking, kayaking and other physical activities. I’ve been trying to get into more reading lately. Hopefully I’ll create that habit this summer!

Target acquired

After graduation, I’ll be teaching dance and taking summer workshops. I’ll also be touring South Korea with the dance company ArtlabJ. I plan to move to Washington, D.C. in early September where I’ll be working as an independent contractor.

The window into Samuel's academic experience frames the story of a student whose sights are set on the future. Someone who will not be dissuaded from his goals and who has the support of the university behind him. Congratulations to Samuel for his successes at Wayne State and the future opportunities he's created through dance.