Growing up in a musical family, Zada Hardin of Elizabethton was immersed in music and theater from a young age and loved acting out scenes from her favorite movie, “The Sound of Music,” in her living room. Her introduction to professional theater came through the Barter Youth Academy in Abingdon, Virginia, where she performed in four productions over the course of five years, and her first lead role was Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” at her elementary school. Zada went on to take up flute and oboe in middle school and choir at Elizabethton High School, where she took part in musical theater and served as drum major of the “Betsy Band,” which won back-to-back state championships.
“I’ve always loved performing, especially with music, because I feel most like myself whenever I’m on stage singing or performing,” said Zada, now a first-year student at ETSU. “I really love seeing the joy that it brings people and making somebody’s day better just by doing something that I love. I do have nervousness and stage fright, but whenever I start singing, it just all goes away. I don’t understand how that works, but it’s just amazing. It’s magical.”
Although Zada’s parents are ETSU alumni and her brother is a junior at the university, what truly drew her to ETSU was the strong sense of family she feels on campus and in the community. And that is what she appreciates most about the university as she has progressed through her first year, and what she shares with prospective students and their families on campus tours as an Expedition Leader.
“Most freshmen come into college scared that they’re not going to find a place where they belong, and I was really nervous about that,” Zada said. “But just walking to class, I see people that I know, or I can just smile and wave at someone I don’t know, and they’ll be like, ‘Have a good day!’ Everybody’s really kind and accepting here. Everyone is sincerely here to help you. All of my professors seem very willing to help, to give extra time. They’ll email me day or night. The sense of community is so strong here.”
“The sense of community is so strong here at ETSU.”
- Zada Hardin
Zada will minor in vocal performance at ETSU, where she currently participates in the student-led theater ensemble Patchwork Players and the musical ensembles ETSU Belles and Harmonium, and will likely engage in musical and theatrical pursuits throughout her life. But her love of people is leading her toward a major in human services.
“I hope to enter a career that helps other people, and human services really spoke
to me, because there are so many opportunities in that field for social work, assisting
domestic abuse survivors, and more,” she said. “I really want to work with children
– to help them with their development and growth. If they’re struggling with something,
I want to be someone they can come talk to.”
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