JM Stowers (’27)

For JM Stowers (’27), coming to Wake Forest was like coming home. Following in the footsteps of his parents, Laura (’90) and Mark (’89), and a Deacon family with a legacy spanning five generations, Stowers arrived from his hometown of Wake Forest, N.C., eager for his own Wake Forest experience – one he is pursuing to the fullest.

A recipient of the Horton Family Scholarship, in his initial semester, Stowers shared his gratitude with his benefactors, writing,

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to experience the wonders of Wake Forest. Coming here has been a liberating experience, and I have already learned so much about myself in the two months I’ve been here. Navigating my classes, making new friends, and forming lifelong connections have inspired me and ignited an even stronger push for commitment in my life.

In his Wake Forest experience, Stowers finds himself encircled by a supportive circle of benefactors who have generously provided scholarships, as well as funding for summer experiential learning. A Presidential Scholar for Distinguished Achievement in Dance, Stowers has focused intently on pursuing his collegiate goals. Now in his junior year, he is double majoring in theatre and psychology while satisfying the requirements for the dance minor.

Working tirelessly on and off stage, Stowers has shared his talents with the Wake Forest community through extensive academic and extracurricular involvement. He belongs to the Wake Forest University Dance Company, Anthony Aston Players, and Setting the Groove Tap Club among other student organizations. He founded a musical theatre dance club, Can’t Stop the Beat! and has participated in Wakeville, Wake Forest’s student-led interdisciplinary arts festival. His acting, design and production, and choreography credits are numerous.

Getting to perform on the Tedford Stage so often has been the highlight of my time at Wake Forest so far… The consistency of working on producing a show has been a stable source of joy and contentment in my time here.

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The extraordinary people Stowers has encountered at Wake Forest have influenced his personal and professional development. He has been guided by faculty mentors, including Christopher Martin, co-director of the University’s dance program, whose ballet technique class was particularly beneficial. Stowers described Martin to benefactors as a “positive voice always pushing me to do my best.” Reynolds Professor of Dance Christina Soriano has engaged Stowers in her iGROOVE research, permitting him to leverage his interests in psychology and neuroscience, and his passion for dance. Alongside Soriano, he has explored the effect of improvisational movement upon people challenged by neurodegenerative diseases, accompanying study participants in movement classes and collecting useful data.

Stowers participated in the 2025 American Dance Festival Summer Dance Intensive in Durham, N.C., joining an international company of artists in a world-class program renowned for immersive dance instruction in a variety of techniques. Two of his Wake Forest professors, Nina Lucas in dance, and Cindy Gendrich in acting and directing, made sure that he could refine his artistry and network with fellow aspiring dance professionals beyond the campus studio. Upon their recommendation, Stowers received an experiential learning stipend through the Shouvlin-Blaisdell Fund for Excellence in Theatre and Dance, which defrayed travel and tuition expenses. With ADF’s program a short drive away, he lived at home and commuted to economize, and used the stipend to pay the tuition balance.

Without the financial support provided to me through the Shouvlin-Blaisdell Fund for Excellence in Theatre and Dance, I would have been unable to attend this incredible opportunity. At the intensive, I trained in numerous different dance techniques and got the opportunity to perform in several showcases to the community. I gained lifelong friends, invaluable artistic education, and even the opportunity to present original choreography. The intensive shaped me as an artist, and I am very thankful for the funding that supported its possibility.

Before returning to Winston-Salem, Stowers had another key destination on his itinerary: Worrell House. Because his alumni parents both studied abroad as undergraduates, he knew he wanted his Wake Forest experience to include a semester studying abroad. A microcosm of Wake Forest, Worrell House is a learning and living community situated in a stately Victorian residence in north London’s Hampstead neighborhood – home away from home for Stowers. His chance to live and study in London was made possible through the Hubert Humphrey Studies Abroad Scholarship, an endowment that helps Wake Foresters participate in study abroad programs, and the Paul Clark Brown, Jr. Memorial Scholarship, which specifically assists students approved to study at Worrell House.

This study abroad trip is an incredible opportunity, and I cannot wait to learn numerous invaluable things and partake in life-changing experiences. I’m thrilled to be studying and staying in the same house that my dad did back in the 80s; it would not be possible without this scholarship.

When Stowers finds himself back on campus and under the lights of the Tedford Stage, filled with memories from the adventures in learning and living he has pursued with focused intent, the hall will be imbued with the spectrum of colors emanating from his vibrant Wake Forest experience. With sustained momentum, he has only to feel confident in his achievements in the semesters leading up to his commencement. Already, Stowers has made the most of his undergraduate education, lifted to heights by the sharing hands of alumni, parents, and friends, and the teaching and mentorship of faculty, all of whom together ensure educational opportunity for outstanding students like him.

I plan to continue this involvement in the coming year and continue to be a support and joy in the Department of Theatre and Dance. Without your generosity and belief in me, this would not be possible.