On December 9, Dr. Michael Fowlin, a psychologist and public speaker, came to Wilde Lake and gave a presentation on a multitude of issues, including feminism, stereotypes, and mental health.

Dr. Fowlin drew on his own past experiences with depression as well as issues concerning high school students today. By acting out the roles of four different teenage archetypes, he was able to express the incongruities between how we feel and how we present ourselves.  But, the performance impacted everyone differently.

His presentation was comedic yet serious, according to senior Laurencio Lowe.

“His ability to make a difficult subject easier kept the audience paying attention and hanging on to every word,” said Lowe.

Other students agreed with Lowe and said that Fowlin’s ability to act as different characters helped make his presentation more relatable. When he acted as a girl, for example, he discussed feminism and the values that girls are forced to conform to in society.

“The presentation delivered a power message, not only through verbal appeal but visually. It put you into different perspectives of people you wouldn’t normally think about,” said sophomore Jazmina Perry.

“He put humor into his presentation by acting as the exact stereotype of the character he  was playing. He changed his voice and his body language with each character,” said sophomore Eunice Rodriguez.

Students described his presentation as inspirational, emotional, relatable, and hope that he will return to Wilde Lake in the future.

“Dr. Fowlin had a big impact on our school. I hope he comes back soon,” said junior Valerie Antoine.