UWI DCFA graduate Khadija Glasgow-Speer appears on the Emmy award-winning series Atlanta
Khadija Glasgow-Speer is a natural-born performer. Ask her about her earliest memories, and she will tell you that they include climbing on top of her mother's living room coffee table and performing for whoever would listen, be that her family, friends, or simply her stuffed animals and dolls.
“I think I was just born this way,” she says with a smile, “and I was lucky enough to have had the support of my family and many wonderful teachers throughout the years who always encouraged me to perform.”
The journey has seen the Arima-raised performer compete on the Best Village stage and work with a long list of performing arts groups which include the Deborah Nicholas Spears Arts Academy, the Mt D’or Cultural Performers, the Julia Edwards Dance Company, the Malick Folk Performing Company, the Festival Theatre Company, the Trinidad and Tobago National Theatre Company, and The UWI Arts-in-Action Unit. Now, Khadija lives in Georgia with her husband, where she continues to develop her craft and make her country proud.
Khadija, who is a Department of Festival and Creative Arts (DCFA) graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts and Festival Management from The UWI St Augustine, is an accomplished actress, dancer, teacher, television and radio host and producer, and fashion designer. Her most recent accomplishment, which continues to create waves of excitement across the nation, has been her role working on an episode entitled ‘Trini 2 De Bone’ for the Emmy award-winning series Atlanta, where she worked with the multi-talented superstar Donald Glover (also known by his stage name, Childish Gambino), as a cultural consultant, co-writer, and actress on the show.
The rising star, who plays the daughter of a deceased Trinidadian nanny, was originally hired as a cultural consultant for the Atlanta episode where she helped to make sure that Trinidadian culture was represented in an authentic way. When asked what aspects of Trini culture Khadija wanted to feature on the episode, she responds, “All! If it were up to me, I would have hired only Trinis and had an entire pan side on the show!”
She goes on to explain that Donald Glover has a special connection to Trinidadians as he had worked alongside many during his time as a nanny in college.
“He learned so much from these Trini nannies,” Khadija explains, “and what he really fell in love with was the way that these women loved people, so freely and unreservedly. He was also impressed with their work ethic and dedication to the profession, so he wanted to make sure that they were represented in an authentic way on the episode. That's where I came in.”
The journey to her breakthrough role in the Atlanta episode has been a long one that was not without its many challenges and obstacles. Thankfully, Khadija has had no shortage of talented and encouraging mentors along the way, and says that many of the key developmental steps during her professional journey were taken at UWI.
“I think that the Department of Creative and Festival Arts has some of the best, if not the best, teachers in the field in Trinidad and Tobago, and maybe even the entire Caribbean.” She says that everything she learned during her time at university has, “contributed majorly” to her success and that many of her professional opportunities have “bubbled out of her time at UWI”.
Even though she looks back fondly at her academic training at UWI, what has really had a lasting impact on her career has been the encouragement and support that she received from her lecturers during her undergraduate training.
“The teachers at UWI made me feel like I could do anything,” she says, “and I think the personal relationship that I developed with my professors was the key to my success. I don't even know if they would remember the words of encouragement that they gave me but, to this day, when I have a tough audition to get through, it is their words that I replay in my head. Yes, the academics were fantastic, but it was the personal interactions with the teachers that really made it worth it.”
Khadija has also been on the other end of the classroom, and worked as a teacher of both Theatre Arts and Social Studies in Trinidad for 13 years, encouraging many young Trinbagonians to unlock their own inner potential.
“Since I can remember, I've always liked the idea of working with young people. While we in Trinidad and Tobago may not always feel like it, I honestly believe that we have one of the best education systems in the world, and personally I feel like I've taught some of the best students ever! It makes me so proud to see my students succeed. Some of my students are now prominent not just in the arts, but other fields as well, and they continue to make me feel so happy.”
Khadija views teaching as an important way for her to give back to society. “Success can never be a selfish thing; it always has to be selfless – for the more you give is the more that you will receive. It's not only important to learn, but also to teach and share what you have learned with others.”
She credits her own success not just to her own efforts but to God, her mother, her siblings, her husband, and to everyone who has supported her along the way. “We can't do it by ourselves,” she says, “but with the right mindset and the proper support, we can bring our dreams into fruition.”
Her advice to aspiring performers in Trinidad is this: “The work starts at home. Even if we dream of going abroad, we need to remember that the work starts right where you are. Also, remember to get involved. Get involved in programmes at school and on the community level. If you don't see the group or programme that you want, then don't be afraid to create it! Remember that your commitment is to the arts itself, to your God, and to yourself. It is not an individual journey; everyone you meet on the way will contribute to your journey as you contribute to theirs. Also, remember to always keep acquiring new knowledge. I'm still learning, I'm always learning. Right now, I am taking an extremely challenging acting class that is kicking my butt. But I love a challenge. Never stop learning and learn everything that you can; no knowledge is ever wasted.”
