My City February 2023

career, many supporters and advocates, and I am thankful for them all.” Her story opens at Summerfield Elementary in Flint nearly 40 years ago. “Back then, Flint was operating the “magnet” school program and Summerfield was one of the schools (along with Pierce) that focused on the arts,” Haley recalls. “I had drama, music and visual arts classes every week.” At home, she grew up in a family of storytellers and would put on plays and puppet shows of her own creation in her garage and at numerous other locations where a kid could find an audience. As she entered middle school, the first of many people showed up to guide her toward her future ca reer. At Walker school, Haley’s drama teacher was Flint Youth Theatre (FYT) co-founder, Sue Wood. It was the start of her involvement with the FYT that transitioned to today as an associate artist at the Flint Repertory Theatre. Haley next attended Whittier and then Flint Central, where she got the push to keep her headed toward perfor mance. “As a junior, I became very ill and as a result, I became fascinated “Theatre feeds my sense of imagination, story telling and sharing and that’s what brings me a sense of joy.”

PHOTOS BY SCOT ORSER

IT WAS WHILE ATTENDING FLINT CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL THAT HALEY GOT THE PUSH TO PURSUE PERFORMANCE. SHE WENT TO UM-FLINT ON A SCHOLARSHIP, EARNING HER DEGREE AND TEACHING CERTIFICATE AND THEN A MASTER OF FINE ARTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. ▶

winning four Encore Michigan Wilde Awards for best performance, as well as national recognition. As a director, Haley has received nation al attention for her storytelling at the Flint Youth Theatre, UM-Flint, and in the Flint community. As theatre-maker, she has pushed the

boundaries of what’s possible through innovation and setting and as edu cator, Haley has helped to cultivate and develop the next generation of performance artists. “I am happy and feel very fortunate and grateful for what I get to do,” she says. “A number of people have contributed to my

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