CREATIVE CAREER CORNER: NOAH FINKELSTEIN

Noah Finkelstein is famous at Kidstock! for being the boy in our clapboard photograph with Lucy (to the left). He is a graduate of Lexington High School and is currently working towards his BA in Political Science and Spanish from Washing University in St. Louis, Missouri. Having recently traveled abroad to London and Paris, Noah is an active sophomore and trained diligently in a wide range of mental health topics to offer peer counseling services on his campus. He serves his community as a peer counselor for an organization called Uncle Joe's which offers 24/7 peer counseling services and connections for students.

What is your fondest Kidstock! memory?
Summerstage! I remember spending two weeks with my friends building a show from scratch-- brainstorming on the chalk walls of the “Big Stage,” making the sets in the art room, and singing the songs that the staff would somehow put together overnight! I’m pretty sure we did a show about King Kong one year… and lots of Shakespeare! Oh, and also singing the Goodbye Song at the end of the day, or onstage at the end of a show, which I still remember the words to, of course: “We really had a great day…”

Did you do any other camps/programs in the area other than Kidstock?
I also attended Running Brook Day Camp. 
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In what ways do you find that you have to be creative in order to be successful?
Creativity helps me keep life interesting! Whether it’s putting together a project, working on a team, or trying to find something to do with my friends, having a creative side to lean on helps me turn challenges into moments of fun. I think that some of the most successful people are really good at adapting and staying positive even when something isn’t easy the first time.

Any skills that you feel Kidstock! helped you get started with?
Kidstock! encouraged me to be endlessly creative as a kid, which is important in my life today. It also helped me be comfortable performing and speaking in front of groups of people, which is a skill that I use all the time now, and which I’m very thankful for. Finally, Kidstock! helped me make some wonderful friends over the years, and gave me a love of musical theater that has stayed with me throughout my life, even though it’s been a long time since I’ve hopped up onstage!

Anything else you'd like to add?
I have only the most wonderful memories of Kidstock! For example, I can still recite (but only in song) the “To be or not to be” soliloquy from Hamlet because we sang it during a Shakespeare week show one year! (It has come in handy in a couple of English classes over the years…) Finally, I’m thankful for the fun, the skills, and the memories that Kidstock! gave me, but most of all, I’m thankful for the people who made (and currently make) it such a special place. As my favorite Kidstock! song says, “We really had a lot of fun…” and I hope to check back in sometime soon to share an update because “maybe [my] adventures have really just, begun” :)