Alumni Profiles

BIANCA KIRKLAND ’06

Multiple Paths, One Amazing Journey

We all need something that makes us feel alive. Maybe it’s a pursuit that adds extra meaning to life or an activity that provides a sense of fulfillment or purpose. Fortunately for Bianca Kirkland, she did not limit herself to just one interest that made her happy. She is proof that multiple passions can come from two completely different worlds.

Bianca’s first love was working with animals. She spent the summers of her teen years volunteering at the Houston Zoo and shelters across Houston. Those experiences eventually led her to her first job at a local animal hospital.

“I was always so intrigued by animals as a kid,” says Kirkland. “To now be able to help creatures that can’t speak for themselves is challenging yet fascinating at the same time; it was even more rewarding though to make them feel better and send them back happy and healthy to their loving homes.”

Dance is her other passion. A passion she found while at EHS. She came to the campus with zero experience, but after only one semester Bianca fell in love with the art form and knew it was something she wanted to continue in college.

“My mother actually made the suggestion for me to take dance class,” says Kirkland. “I had always been more into sports, but dance was something new and different, a way for me to express myself like I never had before. Dance teachers Evelyn Ireton and Frank Vega were my first introduction into the dance world, and they left a long‑lasting impression on me.”

They left such an impression that Bianca went on to Texas A&M University where she starred as a member of the Aggie Dance Team while earning a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences with a minor in Dance Science. After college, she moved to New York City where she enjoyed a professional dance career for 18 months. She danced in the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive Concert and was an Instructor and Performer for Sizzle Dance Company. To supplement her income while in NYC, Bianca naturally gravitated toward something that was familiar and that she loved as much as dance. She worked days as a technician at an animal hospital while still going to rehearsals and auditions in the evenings. After long talks in the surgery suite with the doctors she worked alongside, Bianca’s passion for animal care was reignited. Although she loved dancing, she knew it was time to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a veterinarian. She applied to and attended Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine on the island of Saint Kitts in the Caribbean. Today she is a practicing veterinarian at one of the largest animal hospitals in Houston.

Knowing that she was not limited to one path is something Bianca is most grateful for from her time at EHS. That perspective played a pivotal role when she decided to pursue a career in veterinary work.

“EHS helped me realize that I didn’t have to choose one or the other. It was time to take a step back from dance to pursue my lifelong goal of becoming a veterinarian. Through the EHS curriculum and Four Pillars, we were able to experience all kinds of things and develop talents we might not have known we had otherwise. Our career plans may not happen exactly how we want them to but finding what you love in life is the joy of the journey. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

—Chief Achilefu ’03

GILBERT SOSA ’16

Lights. Camera. Action.

If you’ve met Gilbert Sosa, you’re probably rooting for him. After all, he was voted most likely to live in Beverly Hills with multiple Academy Awards.

Today Gilbert is enjoying a career as an internet personality, actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. His social media content has been viewed by more than one billion people across the globe, a number that might intimidate some, but not Sosa. He reflected upon how his time at EHS positioned him not only to break out in one of the most competitive industries in the world but to give back to others in the process.

“I came to Episcopal my junior year and I knew early on that I wanted to maximize my time on campus,” says Sosa. “In order for me to do that, I knew I had to be involved more than the standard eight hours per day. The Academic Deans were instrumental in helping me do so. They always spoke to me about being intentional with my time and they helped find ways to make things work.”

Some of the activities Gilbert took to were the Acolyte Program, EHS Onstage, Episcopal Television (ETV), Students of Service, Student Government, and even emceeing at pep rallies. Media Arts teacher Pejman Milani, taught Gilbert in his ETV moviemaking class, and he reminisced about the impact Sosa made while on campus and his desire to do more.

“I was lucky enough to be both his advisor and film teacher,” says Milani. “If you saw Gilbert in a lecture, you would observe him leaning forward, eyes wide open, and nodding his head because he was pretty much trying to soak up everything. I don’t know where he got the energy to juggle as many responsibilities as he did at that age. I remember him being so involved in the community that we had to dial it back so he could be sure to do some homework, too.”

His experience at EHS led him to where he is now. The support from his teachers and advisers mixed with an environment built to foster his interests created the perfect launch for Sosa. “I now realize that not many [people] get the opportunity to have their interests heard and implemented at such a young age,” he said. “Sometimes I had to remind myself that not everyone has access to the things I was fortunate to have at EHS and I wanted to take advantage of them completely. I was able to have a very positive experience just by being a part of the EHS community. It boosted my confidence to eventually go out into the real world and take on filmmaking as a career.”

In 2019, Sosa directed his first short film, “First Timers.” Months later he produced and directed his first foreign film “La Sangrienta Navidad,” shot in Mexico City. Both short films were released within weeks of each other, with his foreign short holding a packed premiere event in Mexico on Christmas Day.

His most recent endeavor is being a talent manager for other social media content creators. Sosa started StoryHouze, a content house dedicated to storytelling and philanthropy. With tens of millions of social media followers amongst the house members, Sosa and his team focus on acts of kindness in vulnerable communities and using their collective platform to make inspiring content. Given the many hours Sosa spent with Students of Service at EHS, it was an easy mission to get underway, as he was exposed early on to the meaning and power of helping others who are less fortunate.

“I will always love EHS because you learn to humble yourself really quickly after you leave. Not everyone has access to the opportunities, but more importantly the attention. EHS was such a welcoming environment and helped develop and nurture my interests. Every day I’m grateful that I get to inspire people who look like me (and beyond) with the work I do.”

—Chief Achilefu ’03