Arts Student of the Week Mimi Archibold

Mimi Archibold, this week's Arts Student of the Week, was motivated to become an actress by watching her sisters, and she had many to choose from. Archibold has eight older siblings.

"When I was really young," Archibold said, "I watched two of my older siblings perform in plays with a small theatre company and later I watched my sister, Mary, star in half the plays she did at Niwot. I'd say she's probably been my biggest motivator when it came to acting."

Every time she listens to a new musical it becomes her favorite, but Archibold considers herself a textbook theatre kid because if she had to choose one favorite, it would be "Hamilton," the first musical she ever listened to.

"Hamilton" got her interested in musical theater. But there were also many actors that she saw on Disney Channel while growing up that made Archibold want to become an actress. "As for the way I act," she said, "I think my biggest influences have been Winona Ryder and Will Smith."

Archibold's experience as a drama student at NHS have been rewarding. "It's been absolutely amazing!" she said. "Even though we've had a few different drama teachers throughout the year I feel like I've grown a lot as an artist and each one of my teachers had played such a great part in guiding me toward that. I'm very lucky to go to a school with a drama program like ours." Her courses have included Drama 1, 2 and Advanced Drama, and Archibold has been deeply involved in the high school musicals.

"Mimi is an amazing theater student.said her drama teacher," Amanda Foust. "She is currently in Advanced Drama and she is thriving. She has great comedic instincts and excels at improvisational acting."

Archibold is a junior this year, and she admits that her time at NHS has flown by. "Aside from the occasional rough spot, these past three years have been great at Niwot. I've made some lifelong friends and have learned a lot about the world and myself," she said. She has found comfort in drama that she has never found anywhere else. "As a freshman during COVID, a lot of my self-confidence was gone when I went into high school and drama has helped me build that back up in myself. It's easy to be confident when you know you have an entire community behind you, and drama for me has always been that community."

Though Foust praised the young actress for her comedic sense, Archibold would rather perform in dramas. "I love my sense of humor," Archibold said, "but I prefer to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself with deeper roles when I get the chance. As far as having a good comedic sense, I'd say it's good to be quick and witty. Except not too quick and witty because you might say something a bit out of pocket. Half the time I say something funny I slap my hand over my mouth right after."

"She brings so much to the class and brings a smile every day," Foust said. "She is dedicated in class and is looking for as much opportunity as she can to learn and grow."

Archibold enjoys reading, especially fantasy and science fiction, particularly when they include a little romance. In the summer she loves to hike and go camping, or simply lay in a hammock in the backyard. "Pretty much anything that lets me be outside is something I love," she admitted.

With another year left to go at the high school, Archibold has not focused yet on her future plans. "There's so many things I'm interested in," she said. "And it's hard to decide what to focus my future on. I think I'd love to be some kind of actor, probably on screen, but I'm also very interested in criminal psychology and have always wanted to do that. So it's either Hollywood or the FBI – guess we'll see!"