Laura Sewell's first professional acting job came in the third grade when she and her three siblings were hired for a six-week run of A Christmas Carol. All previous ambitions of one day becoming a ballerina vanished the moment she walked on stage.

"I was only acting because I was the youngest child and my older brother and sisters were doing it," she says. "But I realized very quickly that's what I wanted to do with my life."

A native of Dallas, Sewell pursued her dream of acting at local professional theatres and the High School for the Performing Arts, where she was a classmate of R&B singer and actress Erykah Badu. At Southwestern, she carried a double major in theater and sociology.

Since graduating from Southwestern in 1995, Sewell has worked professionally in Austin, D.C. and Houston, where she is currently pursuing her master's of fine arts in directing. She says she decided to go to the University of Houston because of the opportunity to work with Sir Peter Hall, one of the founders of the Royal Shakespeare Company and considered by many to be the greatest Shakespearean director in the world. Hall will be a featured speaker at Southwestern's Brown Symposium, Shakespeares!, in February. She's also had the opportunity to work with three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee, most widely known as the author of Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?

"There is no other opportunity in the world like this right now. It's really amazing to have the chance to work with and learn from such accomplished professionals."

In October, she'll bring her talents back to campus during Homecoming as emcee of SING!, marking her second stint as host of the festivities (her first was in 1995). "This year will be special because we're bringing back the best acts and emcees of the past 20 years with a Mission: Impossible SING 2000 theme."

When asked why she believes she was chosen to host such a special event, Sewell quickly illustrates her ability to balance large objects on her head and play a trumpet and piano simultaneously. "When hosting SING!, you must be able to fill time to allow the acts to clear the stage and set up again. I can fill time.

"SING! is a great way for alumni to meet current students, and at the same time, a great way for new students to find out what Southwestern is really all about." She's also excited about this year's Homecoming because she's on the committee for her 1995 five-year reunion class.

Sewell has given much of her time and energy back to Southwestern in the past five years. She currently serves as a class agent and as a member of SU's development committee in Houston. She's also been an active participant in Southwestern's annual day of service. "I wouldn't do all this if I didn't enjoy it. It's a great way to keep in touch with everyone from the University. I got so much from SU. It's great to give back to something that was so rewarding for me.

"My closest friends to this day are those from my freshman hall. We call ourselves 'the ladies.' Being connected to Southwestern's theater program and having the chance to know (the late theatre professor and chair) Doc Hosalla are things I'll always be thankful for."

After completing her master's in August 2001, Sewell plans to pursue a career teaching, possibly in a university setting. She also will continue to act and direct. In the meantime, she hopes to spend next summer working in the theaters of London, where she studied for a semester as an undergraduate at Southwestern. "It's such an incredible city, and I'm committed to making SU's London alumni group larger than any other."

-Greg Holland