Former OCSA Students Explain Why They Left

Brian Resendiz

OCSA is a unique school that allows students to master their artistic talents alongside academics. However, this demanding schedule has been seen as a burden to some. This leads to a  phenomenon that scratches people’s heads: students leaving OCSA. In these interviews with former OCSA students, answers to this phenomenon are uncovered.

Moses Fleischman (‘24) who was a student in the FTV conservatory, working with Dreamscape and Art Attack Live on the side, shared his reasons. “I took video classes in my time in middle school and fell in love with the process of making such a comprehensive art form. Film is all-encompassing… It is a way to express oneself in a way that I truly believe no other art form is able to truly capture,” Moses claimed when asked about his initial attraction to the conservatory.

“I realized that I wanted in my high school experience to be able to take part in a wide variety of activities and experiences. As much as I love film and my public school's resources available for arts education is nowhere near that of OCSA, I am able to spend my time doing more,” he shared. Moses is now involved in after-school sports as well as a technical theater program where he’s working to put together his own school’s fall play and spring musical. 

We also had an opportunity to interview Nico Moure (‘24) who was also previously a part of  the FTV conservatory. This is what he had to say: “I wrote scripts and filmed them with classmates… I lost my passion for film and realized I wanted to do animal rescue instead. It also just wasn’t the right environment for me as the days were too long for something I wasn’t interested in anymore.”

Finally, Arjun Sriram (‘24) who had previously been in ACT, and took on roles in the Seagull and Hamlet before leaving, explained his rationale for leaving. “I wanted to get better as an actor, and I felt that OCSA was a place where I could be around like-minded people who shared similar interests with me, while also honing in on my craft,” Arjun remarked. “I got lucky and landed the lead role on a show called ‘The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh’ which required my full attention, thus having me leave school forever.” Arjun now searches for more acting work while simultaneously being homeschooled.

These interviews only highlight a small sample of the entire former OCSA population. The takeaway here is that students can leave for a variety of reasons, such as academic pressure, losing interest in their artistic discipline and even work opportunities. There may be a hundred more reasons for a student to transfer out, but in the end what matters is keeping at an education, wherever it can be found.