Jernigan has been doing theatre for three years and enjoys the bonding experience he gets to have with the rest of the cast. 

     “My favorite play that I've worked on so far has been Aladdin,” Jernigan said. “I’ve brought my talent to the play, and just positive energy all around.”

     Jernigan was in the middle of his freshman year when the pandemic started, and was upset when he found out the show was going to be canceled.

     “That was something I was looking forward to doing because I felt like it would be a great way for me to show my talent and express myself artistically,” said Jernigan. 

     When the play was cancelled the second time it didn’t really surprise Jernigan because of the COVID restrictions, but he had high hopes that it would come back. 

     “The play being cancelled did make my mom bummed out because it was something she was looking forward to seeing and she told other family members about,” said Jernigan.

     Although Jernigan was upset about the musical  being cancelled, he had some extra time to think about it.

     “The pros that came along with the play being cancelled during that time was I got to figure out [if this was] something I really wanted to,” Jernigan said. “It also gave me more time to work on my acting skills.” 

     The first time Jernigan was in Aladdin he did not have to try out because it was something that was introduced through his theater class. However, the second time around was different. 

     “The second time I had to go through the audition process, but that made me closer with all the original cast because we went through it together,” said Jernigan. 

     Having a new cast each time took Jernigan some time to get used to, but after the cast meetings, was more comfortable.  

     “The reason why I tried out for the play a second time was because it was something I really wanted to do from the beginning,” said Jernigan. “With other people not being here I knew that more roles would be open for me to go for.”

     The play being cancelled the first time did not have an impact on Jernigan’s everyday life because he had a minor role at the time. He played the role of a guard pre-COVID, and now has the star role of Aladdin. After the play was cancelled, there were still some minor theater events such as the Cabaret, which is a restaurant or nightclub-themed musical.

     “Having other events and Aladdin still being postponed didn’t affect me because I was able to display my talent and creativity since I was a part of the cabaret,” said Jernigan.

     Jernigan does feel like he has to be held accountable for showing up and putting effort into his job, and he has grown since the 2019 Aladdin with both his work ethic and acting. He has a different mindset and takes theater much more seriously now, as he puts effort into making sure he knows what he is doing with his lines and acting.