Alumni Story

It’s not that you fail, it’s what you do after you fail, what are you going to do after that, are you going to learn from it?”

“Catawba chose me,” is Justin’s answer when asked why he chose Catawba. Growing up in Salisbury, he explains, “I was always aware of Catawba, being a local you don’t think about it as much maybe.” He caught the theatre bug during high school when he got involved in the local Piedmont Players Theatre. “Catawba had this amazing reputation for theatre,” he says, adding that he didn’t think he was good enough to go to Catawba to major in it. While working at Blockbuster Video with a couple of folks from Catawba, they invited him to be in a show with a lot of Catawba students. There he met Catawba theatre professor Jim Epperson. “Next thing I know I’m going to Catawba,” he says, majoring in theatre. “I thank people like Tom Smith and Jimmy Hurley and others who funded scholarships for students from Rowan County,” he shares, naming generous local donors to Catawba whose support made it possible for him to attend.

He credits Catawba for giving him a second chance. He dropped out for a semester to act, then came back to Catawba, living off campus and working at local restaurants to pay the rent.  “I bloomed later, I was not the best student while at Catawba, it took me a while to get my focus. They allowed me to fail, to learn from that, and then allowed me the chance to try again. That’s an important lesson to learn in life,” Justin remarks.

There was time for more than work and theatre. He and several other students formed the Fisher Street Band while at Catawba, and they were encouraged by the music faculty. “It was great,” Justin recalls, “We recorded a demo in the basement of the music building, had a CD release party at Las Palmas restaurant, and did a tour.” 

Talking about his major, he says, “The theatre department faculty was wonderful, they challenged us, back then every year Catawba produced a brand-new play.” He also specifically chose a BA, not a BFA degree.  “I wanted to stay more generalist,” he explains, “and that has worked out really well for me,” he adds.

After graduation, Justin worked as technical director and marketing director at Piedmont Players, leaving to spearhead the founding of Lee Street Theatre. There, he created a Catawba College summer internship program through grant support from the Robertson Foundation and others to hire Catawba students providing a stipend and free housing. The interns wrote and produced their own shows, which toured locally. Justin went on to become the executive director of Cain Center for the Arts in Cornelius, NC, whose new building opened in January 2023. It showcases a variety of performances and events. “I was the first full-time employee, there was one hourly employee when I was hired. Now six years later we are a full-time staff of nine, with an annual budget of $2 million from an early budget of $200,000.”

Justin is enthusiastic about the educational experience at Catawba. “I’m a big believer in what Catawba offered for a liberal arts education. I had to take these different classes that I’m now glad I had to take, but at the time I was a snotty kid, asking why do I have to take this stuff?” He appreciates the required core of academic subjects, which he cites as giving him a broader understanding and perspective.

His takeaway message for students is don’t be afraid of failure. Catawba taught him how to handle it. “It’s not that you fail, it’s what you do after you fail, what are you going to do after that, are you going to learn from it?” Justin asks. “If you’re afraid of failure you never take chances, you’re never going to innovate, write that book, compose that song, develop that arts center.”