From his humble beginnings on the stage of the Roberts/Dubbs Auditorium, alumni Nik Walker is now behind the curtains of the Richard Rodgers Theater on Broadway. Walker pursued his passion of performing arts and is currently preparing for his role in the critically acclaimed musical Hamilton. He graduated from the high school in 2006, and pursued his career in performing arts, as it was something that he enjoyed and could make a living out of. According to Walker, this was a perfect opportunity that he had been preparing for. He had always wanted to be part of Broadway ever since he was introduced to performing arts in freshman year drama classes. Along with preparing for his big role in Hamilton, he has also performed in other shows, such as Motown and also Peter and The Starcatcher.

Do you have any favorite moments when you’re on Broadway?

Honestly, the best part of doing Broadway is the people. It’s just a lot of really crazy people who have big personalities. I mean it’s our job, so we take our job seriously, but we also prank each other; goofing off and just having fun. When I made my first Broadway debut- my first bow, it was an amazing moment and my castmates lifted me up their shoulders and that was really fun. That was a moment that really meant a lot to me because it made me feel accepted.

When you were in high school, did you enjoy theatre and were you passionate about it?

I think that the arts is what kept me going in high school. I loved English and history classes; math and science I was not the best at. I really had to put in extra work in those classes because I just didn’t get them. It wasn’t the way my brain was wired. Also, I had some really good friends in high school, some who are still my closest friends today. That part of it was always fun, I loved hanging out in the quad and going to the diner right down the street from the high school–we would go after or before class. That part of the high school I really loved.

Would you recommend trying to be on Broadway?

It’s hard to recommend because you have to understand that Broadway and Hollywood are things that take a lot of work and quite honestly, I don’t want to call it luck but it’s not a guarantee. I would recommend that people follow their dreams. I mean, if their dream is to be on Broadway, then absolutely. Go for that dream. My biggest advice is don’t worry about where you land. it’s not about if you make it on Broadway or not but what makes you happy. For me, if you do things that make you happy in your life, that is how I mark my success. I have a good life. I have friends who I trust, I have a good wife, good people around me, and a good job. That’s what makes me happy, not Broadway. I’m on Broadway right now, but that could end tomorrow, so I’m not going to put my stock in that.

Do you have any last words before we conclude?

Yeah! I want to say that I miss high school and please send all my love. I want to thank everybody because I couldn’t do what I do today without that high school. I want to give all my thanks to everybody who helped me along this journey.