Carroll Community College

Evan and Willow got up together to speak during the debrief which really grabbed my attention as the participants typically get up individually. 

Evan, who played my transgender character stated during game play that he believed people should just “stay the same.” He asked at his table, “why would someone choose* all of those challenges… ruin your family if you could just stay the same?”

He then passed the mic to Willow who disclosed that she was transgender and explained how hurtful his comments were during game play… Willow was too emotional to continue speaking and passed the mic back to Evan. 

Evan shared that he struggled but continued to immerse himself in the life of his character, while simultaneously immersing himself in a conversation with Willow. He revealed that the pairing conveyed the importance of allowing people to be their authentic selves and that by the end of the session, the only thing worth questioning were his own beliefs. 

Towards the middle of game play, Dr. James Ball, President of Carroll Community College shows up. I later learned that his Director of Communications left the session to find him and request that he drop in to observe FACTUALITY's impact.

And then... as I was closing out the session, one by one the attendees began to stand... the session concluded with a standing ovation. 

Many, many thanks to Morgan Sommerville for recommending FACTUALITY to her colleague and friend Jen Milliam at Carroll Community College; this was one of my most impactful sessions to date. 

Follow up email from my host: “And of course the story at the end with Willow and I think it was Evan was so impactful and touching! Definitely one of those “this is why we do what we do” moments.”