Kiley Silva was a high school student from Houston, Texas, when she performed for 50 college music theatre programs at a National Unified Auditions event in Nebraska. Of all the school representatives she met that day, only one asked about her as a person, rather than “how high can you sing?” and other ability-related inquiries. That representative was Viterbo faculty member Rick Walters.

“I really liked everything he had to say,” said Silva, who will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre. “He really took the time to talk with me that day, and when I auditioned later for other Viterbo faculty, they did the same. The university really cares about their students as people.”

While the Wisconsin winters might not be her favorite, the rest of Silva’s Viterbo experience has been great. She has performed in Footloose, Lysistrata, two student theatre productions, and is directing the student production of Heathers the Musical scheduled for May.

“From theatre camps to singing and dancing lessons, I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t doing music theatre,” Silva said.

At Viterbo, Silva became interested in serving as a member of the Student Government Association. In the past three years, she has served as a representative, vice president, and president, respectively.

Campus safety has been an important initiative during her tenure. For example, the SGA has played a key role in the selection and implementation of a safety smartphone app, which includes features such as push button calls and location tracking, a social escape feature, and important emergency information and policies.

Silva has a close group of friends who enjoy going out to eat, watching TV and movies, and spending other time together.

“I plan to go from theatre job to theatre job all around the country with Minneapolis as my home base,” said Silva of her post-graduation plans. “After I save enough money, I’m going to move to New York and be in as many shows as I can.”