People
Glenna Jane Galarion
About
Hello! My name is Glenna Jane Galarion, and I’m really excited to serve as a Peer Arts Advisor this year! I’m a rising senior from Las Vegas, Nevada, and I’m concentrating in Anthropology with certificates in Theater, Music Theater, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and American Studies. With my art, I’m passionate about creating genre-defying, intersectional, feminist-minded, and nuanced identity pieces.
Having attended a performing arts high school where I majored in vocal and choral performance, I came to Princeton initially set on continuing classical training and primarily being involved in the Glee Club. As a nervous first-year prepared for rejection, however, I found myself auditioning for anything that remotely interested me and ended up in the Triangle Club.
Being involved in the Triangle fall and spring shows during my first year, I – a low-income, Asian American, and queer woman – struggled immensely with how the organization was steeped in whiteness and non-inclusive traditions. Frequently feeling tokenized, uncomfortable, and undervalued in that space, I looked for other avenues to fulfill this newfound interest in theater.
Luckily, because of how the Theater department values and supports students embodying a range of identities and backgrounds, the Lewis Center became a space for me to grow and explore who I am as an artist. Since joining the Theater and Music Theater programs, I’ve had a plethora of opportunities to not only strengthen my skills as a performer but also compose meaningful and transgressive works that highlight my voice and multiplicity.
In my own quest to feel embodied in my art, it is important to me to facilitate spaces where everyone can feel embodied, seen, and heard. I care deeply about deconstructing the systemic racism and white supremacy that the discipline has long perpetuated with regard to inequitable barriers of entry and Eurocentric storytelling, so I’m excited to welcome you to a program that is a step in the right direction.
Besides the Lewis Center, I’ve done a few musical theater productions with the Princeton University Players. I’m also in an a cappella group called Shere Khan, a vocalist in the Princeton University Rock Ensemble (PURE), and a DJ for WPRB. Beyond the arts, I’m involved in SpeakOut and Woke Wednesdays, and I work on campus as a Student Marketeer for Red Bull and at the front desk for the Lewis Arts Complex.
If you're at all interested in getting involved with the arts at Princeton whether it be at the Lewis Center or in student organizations, I'm happy to chat! I'd love to hear about your interests and experiences and hopefully help you navigate this scary but beautiful place a little bit better.