Elle Krause-Lyons

Elle Krause-Lyons, who is a May 2007 graduate with a BA in both History and Communications and a minor in Theatre, has been involved in theatre since she was in second grade and has been in love with it since long before then.

One of the first things Elle did when she arrived at CSS was audition for a play. Being a part of that first play introduced Elle to countless amazing people and she knew she wanted to continue being in shows at CSS. She says that her Communications major developed out of those wonderful experiences. Through the courses she was taking for her theatre minor, Elle was able to meet some very influential professors and students in the Communications Department who persuaded her into pursuing a Communication major.

She says, "You could say it was sort of a natural progression. The Communications department was where I really should have been all along."

Elle says that Julie Ahasay and Merry Renn Vaughan were two professors who impacted her life in very profound ways. Merry was one of the first professors she really got to know and that Merry took her under her wing and taught her a lot about theatre. She says that Merry is a wonderful person and an even better friend.

Elle also had the opportunity to be a Dignitas mentor for Julie Ahasay for her Sophomore and Junior years. She says learning from Julie has been rewarding as well as fun. She says that Julie is an incredibly talented teacher who truly loves what she does.

Elle's favorite courses were Argumentation with Tammy Ostrander and The Moving Image with Nathan Carroll. She says that she went into Argumentation absolutely dreading it. She says that the course was challenging, but that it gave her a great sense of accomplishment to do well and in the end she learned a lot. Elle liked The Moving Image because she loves film and to critically analyze it, look at its components, and learn about its place in the world of art