Gabriela Torres | Life After Juilliard

Postcards From Juilliard Alums

Because of COVID, my class and I didn’t get the “traditional” fourth-year experience I had witnessed during my first three years at Juilliard. While that was heartbreaking, I learned the skills that equipped me to face a brand-new industry. I was so focused on preparing for the professional challenges actors face after graduation—the rejection, the part-time jobs, the auditions, the sacrifices—that I didn’t think much about the personal ones.

These past three years have been a big learning curve. I’d been in school my entire life and had a structure that helped me stay organized, people that pushed me to do and be better, a community that motivated me, classes that inspired me, and ultimately, a place that held me accountable. I knew I was a great student, but was I an artist? That was my biggest question, and I still don’t have the answer, but I’m no longer afraid of not knowing. A big part of my life now is learning to transform that fear into curiosity. While I may not succeed all the time, that question helps me determine where to put my energy, encourages me to keep learning, and, most importantly, helps me not lose sight of why I do this, why I fight for this.

Since graduating, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to work in theater, TV, and film. I’ve also been part of workshops, podcasts, and readings that have pushed and challenged me in different, essential ways. And yet it’s the projects I don’t get that teach me the most about where I am and where I need to go. There’s still so much to learn, so many questions, and so few answers. And that’s very exciting.

Gabriela Torres (Group 50)

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