S1E12: A Broadway Dream Realized (Kayla Davion, Performer)

Kayla Davion graduated from Ball State in 2017 with a degree in musical theatre from our College of Fine Arts. Before she even finished her undergraduate career, Kayla landed a part in her first Broadway show, Waitress.

Since that initial opportunity, she’s consistently appeared in several shows on the Great White Way, landing roles in the musicals King Kong and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. 

In this episode, Kayla describes how discovering theater helped her find her path in life and she talks about several Ball State professors who were instrumental to her extraordinary success.

She also shares how she stays healthy enough to perform as Tina Turner on stage (“I wish you could see my drawer of vitamins!”) and what advice she’d give to other performers wanting to pursue their own creative dreams.   

If you enjoy this episode, please leave a review to support the show. 

Transcript

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Hello and welcome back to our Call to Beneficence. My guest on the podcast today is Kayla Davion. Kayla graduated from Ball State University in 2017 with a degree in musical theater from our College of Fine Arts. And right after she graduated from Ball State, she traveled to New York City to appear in her first Broadway show, Waitress. Following Waitress, Kayla landed a role in another Broadway musical, King Kong. She was also the understudy for the production's lead role of Ann Darrow, which she performed on stage several times. Then after King Kong, Kayla was cast in a role in the original Broadway show, Tina, the Tina Turner Musical. After more than a year on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kayla resumed performing in Tina last fall. And as the alternate for the lead role, she regularly transforms on stage into the legendary singer, Tina Turner. In this episode, I will ask Kayla about making the transition from Ball State to Broadway. I also want to learn about how she prepares for a high intensity show like Tina. And I want to hear what inspired Kayla to create an alumni ambassador program within our nationally recognized Department of Theater and Dance. So Kayla, welcome and thank you for joining me on the podcast today. 

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Hey you all. Thanks for having me.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Well, it's an honor to be with you today. I've had the pleasure of seeing you perform on a couple of occasions and grateful for you joining me today. So why don't we start with a little of your own personal history with your childhood. I understand that you grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and started singing around the age of seven. Tell us a little bit about your childhood.

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Yeah, I, literally that, grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. I went to, by the time I got to high school I was in this school called [inaudible], so I was like in the suburbs-suburbs. But I did start singing at the age of seven. My dad is a pastor, so I grew up in the church singing. And my dad used to call me his songbird. All of my siblings can sing, but I think I was the only one at the time who kind of decided I wanted to be in choir and all of these different school activities that involved singing. But I remember just loving to sing at church. I loved to have a solo, but I also loved to be in the choir. I just like the sounds of harmonies and what they do when they're all together and how it blends together and what it sounds like. It kind of sends chills down your spine when you're listening to it. So I knew that music was going to be a part of my life, a very, very big part of my life. And then as I got older, I was pretty much just in choir until I found theater my senior year of high school. And that was just a whole other journey in itself when I found theater. I was like oh, maybe this is what I'm supposed to be doing actually. Maybe this is the route I'm supposed to be going in.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

So before theater, though, I understand you maybe wanted to be an R&B artist. Is that right? And so—

[KAYLA DAVION]:

I sure did.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

She sure did. And who was your favorite R&B artist that you wanted to be just like?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Oh my gosh, who was my favorite R&B artist at the time? I love, well actually, she's not an R&B artist. Well, I don't know if she would be considered that, but I love Fantasia [Barrino]. Obviously, we all love Beyonce, like she's queen. But I actually was very much interested in a lot of older songs. And I think that's just because I had a rich tone. My mom has a very rich tone. My mom sings as well. If you think I can sing, I normally say she's 10 times better than me. But she has this really heavy rich tone, which is what I grew up singing with. So I used to listen to people like Anita Baker or gospel singers like Yolanda Adams. But I knew that I wanted to write R&B. I wanted to write about love. Obviously, every, every kid growing up is like, I want to talk about my crush, you know. So I used to write a song every day in high school. I would get up and I would write a song every day. And I was like yeah, I'm going to be famous. Like I'm going to be an R&B artist. And I will either be singing about love, or I will be singing about inspiring somebody by chasing after your dreams.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Well, you certainly are famous as a performer. But as you said, it switched to musical theater. Was there a particular show that prompted you to say instead of R&B, I want to be in musical theater?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Yeah. I ended up, okay, so let me backtrack. So though I wanted to write music, I was like, okay Kayla, maybe we want to go to college for writing music. So I planned on going to college to be a psychologist because I also love learning the ins and outs of the psyche and like, how people move through the world. So I was like great, we're going to go to school for psychology. And then there was, I used to say that my theater program in high school was a cult. Because I just never, I never knew anything about it. And I felt like you didn't know about it unless you were in it. However, my sister had a theater teacher, his name was J.R. Rose. And they were doing this all-state theater production of Memphis, the musical. And if you don't know what, like, a theater festival is when you're in high school, all state theater production is basically when they do, they did students from different schools in the state to put together this one musical. 

So at the time, they were auditioning for Memphis. And he knew that I sang. So he told my sister that I should audition for this show. And I was like oh no, I don't really know about that. And then they asked again. They were like you should audition for this show, seriously. It's a really great show. And I was like okay, great, fine, I'll audition. And I auditioned and I got in. And it was a gamechanger. I'd never been in—I think the reason I love theater so much is I've never been a place or a setting where it really is an ensemble. It takes the work of so many people from the crew to the people that are onstage to the leads, like it takes so many people to put together this one production. But when it is done well, it's beautiful. And you feel such a bond with everyone. And I think that's what kind of like stuck out to me the most. 

And on top of that, it was my first time seeing that an African American woman could be a lead role. And that was one of the major roles. Montego Glover is who originated Felicia in the role of Memphis. And it was mind boggling to me. I had never seen anything like that in my life. And she actually, like the character sang down. Like it wasn't a stereotypical sound that we were used to when we think of musical theater. I think this was like at a time where I was like oh, sound is evolving. And this theater sound that we're used to is changing. And so I got to hear this gospel sound. And I was like oh, this is combining all of my worlds in one. I get to work with a bunch of people, build a bond. I get to see Black women leading roles. And I get to see them using their voice and not feeling like there's a stereotypical sound that I'm supposed to be creating. And I was like yeah, I remember telling my mom I was like mom, I think this is what I'm supposed to be doing for the rest of my life. And my mom was like, now—

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Now let's go to college. 

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Yeah. And she was like any parent she was like oh, what's the backup plan? Like maybe this will be your backup plan, like. And I was like no, mom, I said wait until you see the show. Like I promise, you're going to see it. And I kid you not, when she saw the show she was like, okay, I see it now. I see how happy it makes you and the light that's shining from you. So okay. But if you're going to do it, you have to actually do it. That's what my mom took.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yeah. If you're going to do it, you're going to actually do it.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yeah, commit. And so you decided to come to Ball State. And I read in preparing for this, that you decided to come to Ball State because you felt that you were destined to be here. Is that true? And if so, what did you mean by that?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Yes. So yeah. Ball State ended up being my like miracle. I, so obviously, this was my senior year of high school. So we're in the current zone. You pretty much should be already knowing where you're going to school. Like you really shouldn't be playing no games. You should be like, I interviewed for this school. I'm going here. I was like okay, career change. I want to go for musical theater. I have no clue where they do musical theater at college. I was like I don't know what schools are really good for it. So I was like great, I'm going to Google top 10 colleges for musical theater. Now at the time, I hadn't heard of Ball State. I hadn't heard of many schools, honestly. And when I was searching this, some schools came up it was like NYU, like you know, it was giving, Carnegie Mellon, it was given these schools that like I think at the time were very well known or had just had some like famous people who had just graduated from these schools, right?

So it was like okay, great. These, okay … New York, got it. Okay, this is where I'm supposed to be, I guess. And Ball State's packet came in the mail of their college. And I looked down at the package. And my—I call it God—but something inside of me was like, this is where you're supposed to go. And I remember sitting and just looking at it and being like okay, it's supposed to be Ball State. That's where I'm supposed to go. I don't know this school, but I know that this is where I'm supposed to be. And it was the only school I auditioned for, and I got in.

So it all actually ended up being exactly where I was supposed to be. I mean like, verbatim, exactly where I was supposed to be. And I was like wow, what a journey when you just kind of like, listen to your gut and your heart, and you just go for it. And Ball State changed my life. It really did. It grounded me. It taught me how to act. Like I didn't know how to act at all. It taught me how to act, how to use my voice and be confident in my voice. It taught me how to have different colors to my voice when it came to singing. And it was the place that I got dance training from. So honestly, Ball State built me from the ground up.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Wow. So who were the people, who were the faculty or staff at Ball State who really were the instruments of that transformation of unleashing the innate talent that you had? Who were those people?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Oh my gosh, so many people. But I would say probably when it comes to teachers, there was Johnna Tavianini, whom I love so much. She was, we liked to call her, she was like our freshman with us because when we started is pretty much when she started. But I remember her asking me in our lesson, like what do you want to, what are you seeking to learn? And I was like well I want to learn how to not lose my voice when I'm singing. And she was like okay, what else do you want to learn? I'd say I don't know, I just kind of want to have different sounds. Like right now I feel like I, you know, I have this gospel bell, and I say, and she's like great, so you want to have different colors to your voice? And she taught me how to use my head voice. She taught me how to use my mix. I had no clue what those things were at the time. So she really honed in on me and was there for all of my tears. And like she really was a second mother. So I love her for that. Also there was Emily Tzuker, who was my acting teacher. She scared the living daylights out of me. And I remember her being like close your eyes. And like in one of our class assignments, she was like, just talk. Just say the lines.

Because I was the where if you said action, I would give you a whole different voice when I started speaking. And she was like, just say the line. Close your eyes. And it was the most scariest thing I've ever been through. I was crying during it. But she taught me how to hone in on the confidence of being in my own body and what that meant to speak out of my mouth and have my voice be the thing that is coming and to not be afraid of it. So I'm really grateful for her.

And then, of course, there's Dee Dee Batteast, my Black queen. I love her so much. She was a woman who I was like oh, you look like me. You sound like me. You're in this university, and I get to come to you as a woman of color who can understand my journey and the way that I do. And Dee Dee challenged me to not only find my sound, but she challenged me to like find my professionalism and what that meant to advocate for myself and also what that meant to advocate in an industry where I wanted to have a seat at the table. She made sure that I found my seat on my own, which I was grateful for.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yep. So one of the elements of that, one of the distinctive elements of our program are the musical theater showcases that are held in several cities, including New York. Describe what impact that showcase had on you in New York in your senior year here at Ball State.

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Yeah, so if you don't know what a showcase is, a showcase is basically when you are in your senior year of the college, I almost said high school, your senior year of college. And you are putting on basically a show of showing your acting skills, your singing skills, dancing skills, whatever you feel like is your top tier in terms of the industry.

You're showcasing this to agents or managers in hopes to maybe have meetings to get signed with someone or at least have a casting director see it so that you can get into the audition pool of New York. So for me, showcase was the … it was the grounding foundation of how I made my moves in New York. It had a lot to do with, I don't know, just like it had a lot to do with me meeting the right people and being around the right kind of people. People that were likeminded like me in the industry who wanted to see me excel.

And also, I think that agents and managers in New York specifically, they have seen all of the shows out here. They know the movement of New York, and they know the grind of New York, and they already know what's happening. So for them, they're able to actually, when they see you showcase they're like, I know that you can be in this show. I know that you can move in this route. I actually see your path going this way. They give you the specificity on what you need to work on and how you need to maneuver so that you can book a job. And showcasing was that for me. I got to meet my agents, Nicolosi & Company at the time, who are still my agents. But I got to meet them through my singing and my monologues. And they took a chance on me. And I owe them a lot because of it.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yeah, so I want to confirm this. I understand, did you really get a call for your first opportunity on Broadway to be in Waitress, did you really get that call while you were taking a final exam?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Yes. And I don't remember what exam I was taking, but I know that I was in the library, out of all places, in the library and the phone keeps ringing. And I'm like declining it, steadily declining it. And then I call them back when I get out of my final and I'm like hello, what's up? You rang, like, I'm in the middle of a final. We know that I'm at work right now. I'm in school. And then that's when they told me I booked Waitress. And then I sobbed.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

And then you sobbed? Yeah. And then so quickly you were moving from the commencement stage here in Muncie at Ball State to a Broadway stage. Tell us about that whirlwind experience.

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Oh my gosh. Yes. I think everybody's dream is to leave college in anything that you major in with a job. But also, I think in the back of our minds we know that like I'm leaving with networking skills, not actually thinking like, oh I'm moving to another state to start a full life now. And I think I left maybe like it was either that week or the week after where I went. I pretty much moved straight to New York. There wasn't really time to do anything else. I didn't really have a vacation. It was straight to the grind of working.

And it was a whirlwind because at the time I was like, I don't have a place to live in New York. Like I don't have, I didn't rent an apartment out. I was like I don't have anything set. I'm just going. But the beauty of Ball State is we have so many beautiful alums. So we got in contact with one of the alums who was subleasing their apartment and letting me live at their apartment while they were gone. Which actually ended up being a big blessing, which is why I love Ball State. This is my point. But it was a whirlwind because I was like, we're not going for voice lessons anymore. I don't have my voice lessons scheduled every week. I don't have these classes that are teaching me how to do it. I just have to trust and just do it. And I was coming from class sessions where I could take naps to working from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., learning an entire show in two weeks. Where I was going to be put on stage, whether or not I felt I was ready.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

In front of thousands of people.

[KAYLA DAVION]:

In front of, yes, exactly. In front of thousands of people. And that house sat thousands. So it was terrifying, to be quite honest. It was really terrifying. Especially because I was so young. And you don't always get into the business that young. So there were a lot of eyes that were on me trying to see how I was going to, you know, how the tables were going to turn. And if I was going to be able to maneuver in the best way professionalism or if the chips were going to fall.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

So while you were in Waitress, I understand you were the first Black woman to perform in the role of Dawn.

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Yes.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

What did that character, what did that experience, what did that milestone, what did that mean to you?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

It meant a lot. One, it's not the kind of character that I guess I would have imagined myself doing. Dawn is very, she's a little on the like, nerdier shy side. And I think I lived in more of a charismatic life, wild, wild side, where I was just loud all the time. And so it was definitely, it was definitely a different character that I had thought that I would be called in for. But also, it was a dream in a way. It challenged me so much. I think when you find roles that are very opposite of you, sometimes you can feel like if you do it then you'll feel like a caricature. But I had to, it taught me a lot about kind of honing in to what the facts are of who this character is and to find it within myself. So it was really cool to kind of like, I don't know, see a different side of myself that I'd never seen before. And also, it was my first time on Broadway. So it was like I'm making history as the first Black woman to play this role in my first time on Broadway. That's really cool. Yeah.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

And those, that string of extraordinary opportunities continues. So, you traded in your waitress uniform to perform in a musical that featured a 20-foot high, 2,000 pound gorilla. It was King Kong. Jennifer and I saw that show back I guess it was 2019 maybe, 2019, I think was when we saw it. And then you primarily performed in the ensemble, but you also had the opportunity from time to time playing the lead role of Ann Darrow. Were you nervous to take on that lead role? Or did the groundbreaking experience in Waitress give you confidence that you could do it?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

I think Waitress gave me confidence that I could do it. But I still was nervous. But I still was nervous. Also because your acting partner is a gorilla. So it was, it is a lot of like how do we make this feel real on stage with a puppet? So I think that was the most nerve racking part for me was like how do I make this real where it doesn't feel crazy to me? You know. But I was really nervous, but I think Waitress had a lot to do with me being able to stand in my groundedness of being like, I am an actor, and I can call myself an actor, so I know that I can do this role.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yeah. So how did you get the role then in Tina? Did your agent set that up? Did they reach out to you? How did that come about?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

That came about in the most craziest way. I, we had our opening of King Kong. On opening day, I had an audition for Tina. My agents called me maybe like a couple days prior and was like they're going to do a dance call. They're doing a musical called Tina Turner: The Musical. They're doing a dance call, and they also want to hear everyone sing. So I was like okay, wow, Tina Turner. They're doing a musical of Tina Turner. That's cool. Now we all know Tina Turner, like, and of course a lot of people know her from “What's Love Got to do With It.” Obviously, that's the song, that's the jam. But I was like this is really cool. I don't know what this kind of show is going to be about, but I'll go to the dance call because it's Tina Turner, and I love Tina Turner. And I went to the dance call, did the songs and then went to my opening night. So it was a big long day of events. And if you don't know, the choreography for Tina Turner is a lot. And if you will, it was my first time doing that kind of movement. King Kong was very athletic. Tina Turner was very like thrashing your body everywhere.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Really high energy.

[KAYLA DAVION]:

[laughs] My neck was in pain, my legs were in pain. And then I had to go through this super athletic show. So it was like okay, here we are. And then at the opening night party that night my agents came up to me and was like hey, they want to know if you can come in for a callback. They're going to do another dance session, and it's tomorrow morning. And I was like what? How? How are we doing this when we just had one earlier today. I just did my opening night. I'm at the party. I'm trying to have a drink. I want to like, celebrate, and you're telling me I have to come in the next morning. I was like okay. Sure. Absolutely, I'll do it because it's Tina Turner. I think if it was anything else I probably would have said no to be honest with you. Only because my body was exhausted. And I was like, I'm trying to go to sleep. But I went in the next morning, and then that kind of spiraled into seven auditions later and me booking Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yep. So as I mentioned a moment ago, Jennifer and I had the good fortune of watching you appear in King Kong in March of 2019. Then in March of 2020, we saw you perform in the chorus in Tina. And then just this past March, March of 2022, we actually saw you perform in the afternoon matinee as Tina Turner. So you play sometimes in the chorus. You perform sometimes in the chorus. And then many times you're also performing as the lead, as the star. What does it mean to you five years, not even five years out of Ball State to be able to portray Tina Tuner on stage on Broadway?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

It is probably the biggest blessing to date. I think one of the things I had to learn coming out here and being in these shows was to remind myself like, you get to celebrate yourself. You get to be in these moments where you get to be wowed and stunned at the work that has taken place. And to know that you've done the work to get here. But being in Tina Turner, the musical, was a different kind of thing because I was portraying someone who's alive. Like this is a real woman who has really gone through a whole journey and has become such a staple for so many people, both men and women to find a warrior inside themselves. And it blows my mind daily that I get to find this fearlessness inside of me because of her. And she's, I feel like, I feel like she's the hero that just keeps giving. Like her story, it's a gift and it keeps giving you gifts as you continue to do it. Vocally, physically, mentally it teaches you about your own strength. It teaches you how to look for things within yourself that are beautiful. And like yeah, it's just the gift that keeps on giving. 

So to be able to see myself now five years later, and to know that I get to be a part of something that is giving gifts to not only myself but to the people who are watching it. Just, it's mind boggling. I sometimes can't believe that like I'm here.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yeah, pretty special. So at the intermission back in March, when Jennifer and I were watching you perform as Tina, we were sitting near Johnna Tavianini, who you mentioned was one of the Ball State professors … And at the intermission, Johnna was weeping because to see you there was a wonderful gift to her. It was, it was so special for her to realize that what she had helped develop in you had produced this remarkable, remarkable experience. What does that feel like to know that your professors are so gratified and so rewarded when they see you perform?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Oh, I don't know. It makes me feel, you know, I think our biggest thing is to, my biggest thing is to always know that like my integrity and my character is making the people I love the most proud of me. And to have Johnna there is like a whole full circle moment. Because she knows all the struggles that I went through. She understands the work that it took me to get here. And to have her share something so close to me and be a part of it with me and because she was such a big part of my life, it's like oh, I'm doing exactly what I need to be doing. I feel like I'm really in the right moment at the right time. And this is a prime example of that. 

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yeah. So on a different level, having seen Tina Turner, it's a high energy show for anyone who's performing, actually for those of us who are just sitting in a seat, you can feel the energy. How do you keep yourself healthy and have enough energy to perform in such a demanding show day after day, week after week?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Woo, I wish you could see my drawer of vitamins! I take, I take so many vitamins daily to make sure that my body is like, it's one of those things where I'm telling you, like when people say if you don't get rest, if you don't get—if you're not actively trying to make sure that you are healthy, your body will shut down. It's a real thing. And because I have experienced it before where my body has shut down, I pay even more attention to make sure that I'm good. Which means in this particular role, excuse me, I try to get a checkup vocally. I go to an ENT, ear, nose and throat doctor. I try and go at least once or twice a month to make sure that my cords are stable and that I'm doing what I need to do. I have a voice lesson once a week to stabilize. I go to physical therapy once or twice a week. And I have acid reflux, so like the dietary needs are different for this show because if you are a singer then you know certain things. You're like, I know if I eat this I'm not going to be able to sing today. Like it just is, it's a whole health kick. And I take so many vitamins. And then I make sure I have to go to bed and get at least eight hours of sleep.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

You're like a professional athlete. 

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Yeah. And I have a personal trainer.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Right.

[KAYLA DAVION]:

So I train once or twice a week as well in the gym.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yeah, so a couple more questions. What advice, you were the first in your family, I think, to go to college. Is that right?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Yeah. 

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yeah, so what advice to you have for either current students or high school students out there who aspire to perform like you do, to pursue their own Broadway dreams? What quick words of advice would you give them?

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Quick words of advice would be probably you have to be your own cheerleader. Make sure that you believe in yourself first. Because even if someone else believes in you, if you do not believe in you, it is very hard for you to move up the mountain that you want to climb. I would say that. I would also say make sure that your heart is aligned with the work. You need to be a person who actually wants to be kind and wants to learn, but you also have to be a person who does the work. They have to be in alignment with each other so that people are willing to take a chance on you. But not only are people willing to take a chance on you, you are willing to take a chance on yourself because of your own passion, your own drive and knowing that you are going to do what it takes to succeed and to get to the goals that you want to do.

Don't sacrifice it. Do not sacrifice it for the money or anything else. It has to be because you love it.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Yeah, like your mother said, if you're going to do it, do it. 

[KAYLA DAVION]:

If you're going to do it, do it.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

Right. So because you not only are supporting current students or aspiring students, but you also want to be a good colleague and graduate of Ball State. You joined a group of graduates to create an Alumni Ambassador Program for our Department of Theater and Dance. Tell us about that program and why you were inspired to join others to create it. 

[KAYLA DAVION]:

I really wanted to create this organization because we were in the midst of the pandemic with the death of George Floyd. And there were so many things that were happening in our community, specifically to BIPOC individuals. And I wanted to do my part. So my part was being a person who can provide substance and tools in education and, honestly, an open ear to any BIPOC student who needs it going to Ball State or trying to get into college for theater in general. Who are wanting to make a, who want to have their own seat at the table in our industry. I plan on making room for anyone who wants to be at the table. And that means acknowledging the minority, which right now is the BIPOC. So I wanted to make sure that I opened up a world that they could be a part of, that they felt seen, heard, and accepted. And I am lucky and fortunate enough to have had people who wanted to be a part of that organization as well. So yeah. 

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

So my last question today, it's a question that I ask all of the guests that join me for this podcast. And it's about Beneficence. You know, as you know, Beneficence is the iconic statue that is the tangible and visible reminder of our commitment, the commitment of every member of our university community. A commitment to the enduring values that distinguish Ball State. And Beneficence, as you know, and as you live, means doing good for other people through service and through philanthropy. And one of those enduring value is courage, which is setting ambitious goals and taking the risks to achieve them. But in essence, what does Beneficence mean to you? 

[KAYLA DAVION]:

For me, it means that there is always a way through. That's what I would say … there's always a way through. And to me, Beneficence is the foundation of community, I feel like. I feel like with community, with other people, we are continuously all on the same track in the same mind to help each other make it through. Whether that means through a crisis, whether that means through just a moment in the day. Whether that means through bigger goals that are touching universities or touching the world. Regardless, we are a community hanging on to each other, that are all holding hands and being like whatever this is, we're going to get through this together. We are going to make it through. Yeah, that's what that means for me.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

That's wonderful. So Kayla, thank you so much for spending time with me and with our listeners today. You make us so proud. Jennifer and I are Kayla Davion groupies. And we enjoy watching you and so many of our wonderful musical and theater students and graduates perform on a regular basis. Thank you so much for joining me today.

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Thank you.

[GEOFF MEARNS]:

And be well and take good care of yourself.

[KAYLA DAVION]:

Will do. Thank you.