Meet CFA Senator Jack Haskins
Jack Haskins followed his two older sisters into the world of dance, enrolling at Pacific Northwest Ballet at age 7. His passion for ballet led him to the University of Arizona School of Dance this past fall. Haskins jumped right into the mix by running for and winning the election to become the Senator for the College of Fine Arts as part of the student government on campus.
“We have so many talented individuals here and I wanted to explore how to create connections,” said Haskins. “I wanted to help lift up our artists, who always want more opportunities to perform, to hone their craft, and to discover themselves. It was never truly about me, but more on figuring out how to build a community.”
Haskins is a double major in Dance and PPEL (Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law) with a minor in Climate Change and Societies.
What inspired you to go into dance?
I remember telling my mom I wanted to dance because I didn’t get to see my two older sisters enough. They both danced at Pacific Northwest Ballet, so I got enrolled into the pre-professional program at a young age. It became my home and as time went on my passion for ballet grew, and I realized that I wanted to do this for my life. Similar to any other artistic pursuit, the experiences I had from dance were gratifying, often painful, but so satisfying that I kept digging at it to see how I could be the best I could be.
Why did you choose the University of Arizona?
Initially, I wanted to audition and join a company after high school graduation as this is a common path dancers take. However, my parents encouraged me to look into university dance programs as well and my mind exploded when I realized the vast number of opportunities these college programs offered. After my audition here, I had the chance to speak with students, and seeing how passionate they were about the program here, as well as for the arts and their craft only intensified my interest. Although my approach to dance was different as I come from a ballet background, I really enjoy performing modern and jazz as well.
What interested you in becoming a CFA Senator?
I wanted to see what else was out here in not only the College of Fine Arts, but also the university. We have so many talented individuals here and I wanted to explore how to create connections. I wanted to help lift up our artists, who always want more opportunities to perform, to hone their craft, and to discover themselves. It was never truly about me, but more on figuring out how to build a community. I always want to help people and it has been such a gratifying experience to work on initiatives both in and out of the College.
How has the pandemic impacted your goals for the CFA?
Before the pandemic began, I had an idea of hosting different festivals for CFA students as an incentive for them to work together. My plan was to have everyone collaborate and create works in the name of different societal aspects and/or political topics, e.g., racial injustice. Tasking our students to collaborate and explore what makes them unique, but also finding their commonalities as artists is what truly binds us together. We would not only come together as a college, but also expand our presence on campus. I am still trying to find ways do this in a COVID world! I do want to thank the university in supporting us through these challenging times with all the testing, and I’m proud of all the students and faculty for their resilience in going forth and pursing the fields they love. I also want to say a huge thank you to Dean Schulz for being a great mentor throughout this process.
What you might need or want from the students?
I honestly don’t think I need to ask too much. Our students are always so open and passionate about their craft that they’re willing to do anything to further that. I think the best people in the world are here, so they just need to keep their eyes out and ears open to things happening!
What are your future goals?
I think imagination, creativity, passion and open-mindedness is absolutely necessary to overcome the immense challenges our generation and future generations face. There’s always a place for artists, but it’s about time that artists get what they’re due, as society can only benefit from their recognition. I’m interested into delving into that and fighting for our artists. I’m nervous but eager for what’s to come in the future.
