Grace Stephens, a member of the class of 2022 at Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, Maryland is ready to stand in the spotlight and draw in some laughs. This fall she will attend The Catholic University of America and study for a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in the university’s Acting for Theatre, Film and Television program. While at Holy Child the last four years, Stephens was the director of the school’s fall musical, Little Women, and is the chapter president of Best Buddies, a program that brings together teens and young adults with peers who have intellectual differences.

Stephens joined the Holy Child community in sixth grade, and her first role at the school was as an understudy for The Lion King. It was not until the pandemic, however, that Stephens realized how much performing meant to her.

“I kind of was just doing it as a hobby pre-COVID, I was still doing sports at the time, my freshman and sophomore year I was very into soccer, and that wasn’t really my main focus, and then the pandemic happened,” Stephens said. She enrolled in an online class hosted by Holy Child graduate Justine Verheul, and participated in an after-school program that was pioneered by Elsbeth Fager, a music teacher and Holy Child’s director of Visual and Performing Arts.

Stephens credits these courses with giving her the confidence to go into performance. She said she took a “big risk” for herself during fall 2020, when she answered an open call email asking for actors in nearby schools to perform in Gonzaga College High School’s virtual show.

“I was like, why not? I’m not doing anything now, but pre-COVID I don’t think I would have ever taken that risk,” Stephens said. That spring, she was in a Zoom production of SpongeBob the Musical. Stephens played the fry cook’s friend, Sandy Cheeks, the karate-chopping squirrel from Texas.

“I had a big green setup in my room, with big lights, so my room was mostly a studio with a bed in the corner,” Stephens said.

Some characters Stephens would like to play in a future musical performance include Janis from Mean Girls and Penny in Hairspray. 

At the moment, Stephens’ dream job is to take on television.

“SNL (Saturday Night Live), I would love to do something like with improv or sketch comedy, because I grew up loving that show and loving the ideas of doing improv and writing skits,” Stephens said. “It’s a really nice mix of theatre and television.” Kristen Wiig, Aidy Bryant, and Melissa Villaseñor are some of Stephens’ favorite Saturday Night Live cast members. 

“I feel like comedy is where I feel like I am good and it’s where I am the most comfortable, but I am also very open to trying a lot of different things,” Stephens said.  

Her interest in sketch comedy blossomed after a trip to Chicago to look at a colleges led Stephens to see a performance from The Second City, an improvisational comedy theater troupe. Notable alumni who have performed with The Second City include Gilda Radner and John Belushi, who both later became original cast members of Saturday Night Live.

Stephens was introduced to Catholic University’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art during the university’s High School Drama Institute program, which was three weeks long during the summer.

“Through that I met a lot of people who were also just as interested in theatre as I was and made a lot of connections with the department there,” Stephens said. “Through that program I was offered – typically you need to audition to get into the BFA program – but I was offered a spot because they’d seen me perform and they’d seen me work.” She added that her mother is also a CUA graduate, and Stephens remembers attending Mass at the nearby Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception growing up.  

Acting isn’t Stephens’ only passion – her sister, Rory, who is two years younger, inspired Stephens to become involved with Best Buddies. Best Buddies is a nonprofit aimed at establishing connections and creating opportunities for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“I have a younger sister who is a person with autism… That’s also why I’m so interested in Best Buddies and service like that. How I interact with her is very much immersing myself into her world,” Stephens said. “I think that kind of spills over into theatre and being able to immerse myself into the world of the character and the story I’m telling.”

Catholic education is important to Stephens. Growing up, she was a part of St. Raphael Parish in Rockville. Currently, Stephens is a member of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac, where she was confirmed in 2018.

“I’ve always grown up in this culture and so it’s very familiar to me,” Stephens said, adding that she felt Holy Child prepared her well for college, both in performance and academics.

“I absolutely feel like I’ve been supported, and nurtured, and helped my entire career here, with academics, with my personal growth, my mental health, I couldn’t have asked for a better support system and group of people to grow up with,” Stephens said.