Momentum Award: Cam Cronin

“The way I think about it is that every character that I play has a lot of me in it,” he said. “I have to draw on my own personal experiences in order to get into something. I can’t put something on from outside of me. It has to come from within. So when I did Twelfth Night, I’m kind of beat up on emotionally by people. I thought back to time, ‘When did that happen to me? What did that feel like? How did I respond? How would I respond up there?’ What I try to do is rely on experiences that I’ve had, and also the experiences that other people have had. It’s certainly not just a ‘me’ process, but rather how do I use my interactions with other people around me.”

This desire to present himself truly and fully has brought him into the Lynch School, where he hopes to continue interacting with people, and use his own experiences to inspire young minds. While Cronin never saw himself as a teacher growing up, his willingess to help others and make connections has led him back to the classroom. He even sees the job as a way to utilize his skills on the stage in real life.

“It’s like you’ve got five different audiences for an hour a day,” he said. “That’s something that appealed to me, and having to be on and playing a role, not necessarily being yourself, but kind of having a persona that takes over and is engaging. That was drawing to me, and also giving back. I like to talk about my experiences. I think that’s a good thing. Being able to give that to students and give my personal story and letting them go with it. The teachers I found I liked the best, and people I would try to emulate to be like, were people who didn’t tell you the way it was but told you their story and then said do what you want with it. You take this and see how it works for you. If it works, great, and, if not, find something else, because it has to be personal.”

Folan, who saw the dynamic nature of Cronin during Orientation last summer, recognizes the “genuine” nature of the senior. This ability to be comfortable in himself and truly care for the incoming students gave Cronin a great sense of how to connect. Folan notices this ability to remain authentic in his roles on stage    

“One of the qualities of a great actor is their ability to perform, and that performance piece in some ways can be hollow and it can’t be representative of who that person is,” he said. “I think why Cam is so successful on the stage is that he connects well with people because they sense that authenticity in him, even when he’s acting and performing in a part.”

For Cronin, who is hoping to stay involved in the performing arts in some capacity, the biggest thing he has learned during his time at BC is to respect and appreciate the little things, from simple gestures to small interactions.

“Every interaction that I have with people is a new and exciting thing for me,” he said. “That’s even as simple as holding a door for someone. Father Don gave this quote a while back about how BC, to him, is about walking from Hillside up through O’Neill to Gasson Hall, and holding the door for the same person four times, and each time saying thank you and you’re welcome. That is right on for me. That is what I really agree with. The small everyday interactions with people are what really matter.

“I’m all about college being about the deep conversations with friends in a dorm room. That’s great, too, but if every single day I can affect someone in a small basis, that’s just as important to me. I try to do that in my everyday interactions and the groups I’m involved in and any new people that I meet in general.”