Story by Natalie Kientzy

Delaney Eischen always thought she had to keep her interests in social work and theater separate. But after a weeklong fellowship, she realized the two aren’t as different as they might seem.

The University of Missouri senior was one of 12 students selected to participate in the National ASPIRE Arts Leadership Cohort at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. last spring. The experience forever changed how Eischen views her passions — and it provided guidance as to where her career might lead her.

As a member of the MU Department of Theatre, Eischen already planned to attend the regional Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for performance. After a former alumnus of the ASPIRE Leadership Fellows Program encouraged Eischen to apply, she was excited to learn about the program’s focus on social justice within theater.

The first step in the program was forming a creative proposal to present at the regional festival in Des Moines, Iowa. Eischen traveled to the regional festival with her pitch for Kaleidoscope, a community organization empowering vulnerable youth through theater.

“There are numerous research studies that show the impact that the arts and theater can have for individuals,” Eischen said. “From my own experience and what I have witnessed doing theater growing up, I know its value.”

She created an organization designed to work with at-risk youth in underserved communities as a preventive measure. The ASPIRE program required her to select a location for her organization, and Eischen chose Chicago.

“I’m from the Chicagoland area, and there are many areas of the city where positive and community-building extracurriculars can make a big impact,” she said.

Her pitch was a resounding hit, which enabled Eischen to travel to Washington, D.C., to connect with leaders in the arts, tour theater spaces and participate in professional development workshops. Eischen also presented her creative proposal at the national level, allowing her to further merge her passions.

“I fused a lot of my social work education into the way I proposed my theater organization,” she said. “I discussed how I could evaluate the effectiveness of programming and the impact of the organization on an individual level, community level and large scale.”

Kaleidoscope was not limited to fostering young artists, though. Eischen also sought to promote community well-being by exploring trauma-informed practices and collaborations for necessary services. Eischen’s pitch was not the only part of ASPIRE that tied back to her studies.

“Throughout the fellowship, we discussed the mission, vision and values of an organization and how a theater can engage a community,” she said. “This all directly related to work we do in my social work courses.”

Dale Fitch, an associate professor in the Mizzou School of Social Work, met Eischen after she took three of his courses. He described her as a delightful and unique student.

“She brings the same level of enthusiasm and curiosity to all of her classes,” he said. “Delaney is one of the few select social workers who will be taking her expertise to a community-based setting. […] The beneficiaries of community theater are not only the production participants but also the broader community.”

While at Mizzou, Eischen also completed a field practicum at a substance-use treatment center. That experience gave her the opportunity to create a group curriculum using theater-based practices to support sobriety.

While she’s not quite sure where life will lead her after graduation, Eischen is exploring exciting opportunities that blend her passions for theater and social work.

“I used to believe that I would have to keep theater as my fulfilling hobby and social work as my fulfilling career,” she said. “I realized through this experience that I wanted to pursue a career that allowed me to combine them.”