December  10,  2014
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The Final Act Samantha  Zaddack  performs  one  more  time  at  UW-Ââ€?Whitewater  as  the  2014  winter  commencement  speaker By Michael Riley Editor  In  Chief
The  last  time  senior  theater  major  Samantha  Zaddack  takes  the  stage,  she  will  be  performing  in  front  of  the  biggest  audience  in  her  life.  She  will  address  UW-ÂWhitewater  graduating  seniors  and  faculty  at  the  com- mencement  Dec.  13  in  the  Kachel  Fieldhouse  as  the  student  speaker. “Ever  since  I  have  been  a  little  girl  I  have  always  been  interested  in  acting,  singing  and  always  being  the  center  of  attention,â€?  she  said.  “I  am  so  exited  for  this  opportunity  because  I  never  wanted  to  go  to  school  anywhere  else  and  am  so  proud  to  be  a  Whitewater  graduate.â€? Zaddack  has  been  a  part  of  12  productions  and  even  before  becoming  a  student,  she  attended  UW-ÂW  summer  theater  camps  since  a  sophomore  in  high  school.   She  received  word  she  had  been  selected  to  speak  at  commencement  while  per- forming  “Nate  the  Dragonâ€?  at  an  elementary  school  in  Janesville,  Wisconsin  earlier  this  semester.   The  next  call  she  made  was  to  her  mother.   ³6KH LV DOZD\V P\ Âż UVW FDOO ´ =DGGDFN VDLG Âł, WHOO P\ SDUHQWV HYHU\WKLQJ EH cause  they  have  always  supported  me  and  my  mom  really  wanted  me  to  have  this  opportunity.â€?  Originally  adopted  by  Chris  and  Wendi  Zaddack  in  Southern  California,  the  fam- LO\ PRYHG WR :LVFRQVLQ ZKHQ VKH ZDV LQ WKH Âż IWK JUDGH “I  have  had  a  great  life  because  of  them,â€?  she  said.  “I  wouldn’t  be  here  if  it  ZDVQÂśW IRU WKHP 7KH\ ZLOO EH WKH Âż UVW WR GLVDJUHH DQG VD\ WKDW LW LV P\ KDUG ZRUN but  no  matter  what  I  want  to  do  in  my  life,  I  know  they  will  be  there  for  me  100  percent.â€?  As  Zaddack’  describes,  the  majority  of  that  hard  work  happened  in  the  Center  of  the  Arts  (CA).  ³7KLV EXLOGLQJ LV KRPH ´ VKH VDLG Âł, KDYH GHÂż QLWHO\ VSHQW P\ FROOHJH KRXUV LQ the  CA.  All  of  my  classes,  rehearsals,  performances  –  everything  is  all  here.   I  love  it.   I  love  coming  to  this  building  everyday  and  see  the  people  I  work  with  in  my  de- partment  who  are  my  friends,  who  I  work  with  in  class,  on  stage  and  in  everything.â€?  Theater  Professor  Charles  Grover,  PhD.,  who  runs  the  summer  theater  camps  and  has  cast  Zaddack  in  a  number  of  productions,  describes  the  senior  as  one  of  a  kind  even  as  a  high  school  student.   “I  saw  somebody  that  is  the  same  that  she  is  now,â€?  Grover  said.  “She  is  very  pretty,  very  talented,  very  vivacious  and  even  more  dedicated.   She  stood  out  in  terms  of,  ‘I  know  why  I  am  here.’  I  think  that  is  still  true  of  her.  She  knew  why  she  came  here  and  she  is  there  now.  I  am  proud  of  her.â€?  =DGGDFN GHVFULEHV *URYHU DV EHLQJ RQH RI KHU PRVW LQĂ€ XHQWLDO PHQWRUV Grover  recalls  one  theater  production,  “She  Stoops  to  Conquer,â€?  when  Zaddack  was  an  underclassman  cast  as  an  understudy.   “Most  of  them  blow  it  off,â€?  he  said.  “But  she  memorized  every  single  line  and  in  a  rehearsal  she  carried  the  part.   She  always  bears  down  and  does  the  work.  She  does  not  have  to  be  pushed.â€?  In  January,  Zaddack  plans  to  take  that  dedication  to  Los  Angeles,  California  to  pursue  her  dreams.   “I  have  always  wanted  to  go  back,â€?  she  said.  “I  am  going  for  it.  I  am  going  to  audition,  audition  and  audition.   Like  anything  in  life  that  you  want,  you  have  to  ZRUN IRU LW DQG Âż QG WKH RSSRUWXQLWLHV ´ RileyMP30@uww.edu
Kimberly Wethal photo/:HWKDO.0 #XZZ HGX
IN  THIS  ISSUE Students  on  wheels  face  winter  challenges Page  9
’Hawks  make  huge  comeback in  4th  quarter  Page  18
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