Ignacio Benavente

Hafa Adai, my name is Ignacio Santos Benavente Jr. I am from the island in the Pacific called Saipan; it is and island located about 120 miles north of Guam. I was born on May 17, 1985 and have been growing ever since. In Saipan, I was an eager participant on the stage, whether it was a musical or school presentation. I went to private school for most of my life, and I am not ashamed about it; my alumnus was Mount Carmel School. However, it was in my Junior High days that I found the love for theatre. It was by sheer luck that I saw a flyer about an up and coming production of the Shakespearean play, Much Ado About Nothing. It was on that day that I discovered my love for the theatre and would continue to participate in school productions until I graduated in May of 2003. Now, I was left with the life decision of going to college, however, I had no idea where I should really start. My uncle recommended Eastern Oregon University to me, and so I decided to check it out. Well, as the story goes, I am now here at EOU. I would not have it any other way. It is a nice small town and that is exactly how I like it. I plan to continue to join in theatre productions here, just so I can show the world that Islanders can act. My romantic dream is to become a big screen actor, but if I can't make it there, I will return to Mount Carmel to teach Theatre and spread the love of the stage to the islands.