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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—When it came to choosing a stage for the next act of his education, a teenage Jimmie Comer III had his pick of colleges. A promising performer in Detroit's prestigious Mosaic Youth Theatre, Comer had an opportunity to audition for representatives from nearly two dozen university programs. One stands out in his memory: Kate Thomsen, assistant professor of acting at Western Â鶹´«Ã½Ó¦Óà University.

"She was very kind, well-spoken and truthful," he says. "She was the only professor or director to watch my performance and give me something to improve, and I really liked that about her."

Thomsen was also one of 22 representatives to offer Comer a scholarship and a spot in their acting program. He considered going somewhere closer to home but made a last-minute decision to head to Kalamazoo.

"Ultimately, the reason I ended up choosing Western is because they believed in me and I believe in them," Comer says. "It was a very unique experience, but I think it was one that ended up cultivating relationships that will last forever."

Now, four years later, he's leaving Western with much more than a bachelor's degree in theatre.

"I know that I have a group of people who are always going to support me no matter where I go, no matter what room I walk into," he says. "And I'll always have a place to come back and call home."

A FOUNDATION TO FLOURISH

Western's theatre program is nationally recognized for a reason. From the time they step on campus, students have the opportunity to engage in main stage productions and learn from some of the top instructors in their craft. Comer wasted no time getting involved, landing roles in a number of shows including "Sweat," "Skeleton Crew," "The Tempest" and "Intimate Apparel."

"I think both as a person and an actor at Western I learned to be honest and walk in my truth and my vulnerability and my identities," he says. "I learned how to intentionally grow, and I learned how to turn my dreams into reality. I learned how to collaborate. And I learned when you hear the word 'no,' it's really the world just saying, 'Not now.'"

Comer's love for acting has evolved into aspirations of building his own theatre and production studio as he's grown his leadership skills at Western. And his education didn't just unfold on stage. In fact, one of his most impactful experiences came when he accepted a job as a resident assistant on campus.

"It ended up being really powerful because I had an opportunity to grow my relationship skill-building and I got to work with people who genuinely loved collaborating."

The team in Housing and Residence Life also stepped up when Comer experienced a family tragedy that threatened to derail his college plans.

"I remember trying to go into work, and I had no idea what to do. The instant love, protection and willingness they showed to work with me and my family and really support me no matter what was really encouraging," he says. "All these people poured a lot of love, patience and understanding into me. That's probably the most impactful part of being a resident assistant, because I got to experience this University's love in a very unique and specific way."

The support and connection to a multitude of services and resources on campus inspired Comer to create a Registered Student Organization (RSO) on campus called Empower the Youth.

"Our mission is to inspire, educate and empower young people to change the world today," Comer says. "Residence life—and (residence hall director) Gigi Ward specifically—inspired me to create an organization where students can be protected. Students can use this as a safe haven of sorts to express, create or become who or whatever they want to be."

Over the past year, the RSO has hosted and collaborated on dozens of events aimed at engaging students and creating community. They include healing sessions, an advocacy conference, a Black History Month celebration, a Writer's Guild event and a career fair focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. 

"I've been really passionate about community-building," says Comer, who won Student Leader of the Year and Best New RSO awards at the Black Student Union and National Pan-hellenic Council's 2024 Black Excellence Gala for his work with Empowering the Youth. 

"(As an organization) we hope that we are helping change the lives and experiences of students all across this campus with our mission and work. We strive to do this by leading with love, patience, kindness, goodness and joy."

With community-building in mind, Comer jumped at the opportunity through Western's Broncos Lead Internship Program to intern with Gryphon Place, a nonprofit in Kalamazoo focused on making connections to resources, nurturing healing and resiliency, and promoting restorative justice for people in crisis.

As part of the community and partner engagement team, he had a chance to research the framework for restorative and transformative justice in education.

"I learned the language, skills and history of restorative justice," he says, thinking ahead to how that could help in cultivating a welcoming culture in his future theatre endeavors. 

The experience has also expanded his professional prowess, giving him an edge as he interviews at various theatre companies and entertains offers.

"Western provided me with the education and the confidence to go and learn in the real world."

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.