Yeshaya Benknockee

My name is Yeshaya Benknockee, and I’m a sophomore in high school with a strong passion for the arts and storytelling. I’ve been part of the CAT Youth Theatre for two years, where we create original theatre based on current events and perform ten shows in a professional theatre. I also act in school plays—the stage is where I feel most alive. I love stepping into characters who are nothing like me and finding ways to make them real. Outside of theatre, I’m involved in the Black Student Union (BSU), where we celebrate and educate others about Black culture, and I’m a student in SEO Scholars, a program that supports academic success and college readiness. For the past four to five months, I’ve also been part of TeenMu, a program where we explore the lives and work of different artists. It’s been an amazing experience that taught me how art can tell powerful human stories. Right now, we’re working with different art styles to bring our theme, “What it means to be human,” to life.