Faith Soncourt AT '27

Finding Connection Through Creativity: Faith's Journey in Arts Justice

For Faith, creativity has always been a driving force in her life. From theater and storytelling to education and arts justice, she's found a way to bring her passions together in a career dedicated to making the arts more accessible.

Traditional classroom settings weren't always places where Faith felt she could flourish. Theater offered something different, although she never necessarily envisioned a career as an actor. Instead, her love for performance led her down an unexpected path, one that would eventually bring her to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for undergrad, and correctional facilities, working with some of the nation's most underserved communities.

What began as an opportunity to explore an unfamiliar environment at Rikers Island soon became central to her professional life. Through her work with the Stella Adler Studio of Acting's Arts Justice Division and Drama Club, Faith brings theater, improvisation, and creative writing into correctional settings, creating opportunities for expression and connection in spaces where those opportunities can be limited.

Through her teaching, Faith has witnessed how creative expression can connect people whose lives and experiences are vastly different. Reflecting on her work with incarcerated youth and veterans in recovery, she shared, “This is the thing that connects so many types of people.”

One particularly meaningful part of Faith's work involves helping incarcerated individuals create and publish their own zines, small, independently produced publications that bring together writing, artwork, and personal expression. Through creative writing workshops and collaborative projects, participants have the opportunity to develop their ideas, share their perspectives, and see their own words in print.

For individuals whose connections to the outside world are limited by incarceration, these publications offer something especially meaningful. Faith has helped bring her students' creative work beyond the walls of Rikers Island, with their collaborative zines now featured in public libraries across six states. She also ensures that participants receive copies to share with family, while additional publications circulate throughout correctional and juvenile facilities.

“These students want their words read,” Faith explains. What begins as a creative exercise becomes a bridge between two worlds, offering participants a way to be heard, seen, and connected through their art.

Finding Her Path at MECA&D

While working a full-time job in the film and television industry, Faith continued developing her work as a teaching artist. What had once been something she pursued alongside her career was becoming the work she wanted to build her career around.

With encouragement from a beloved mentor, Faith began exploring graduate programs that could help her bring together her interests in theater, education, and service. After considerable research, she discovered the online Graduate Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy at Maine College of Art & Design.

The certificate offered an opportunity to explore graduate education without immediately committing to a full master's degree. It also provided the flexibility she needed while balancing her professional responsibilities and teaching.

For someone spending so much of her day supporting and engaging with others, having the space to absorb course content and reflect on her own schedule was especially meaningful. As Faith explained, “I need to be able to sit with myself with the content, and I often feel rushed in a classroom.” That flexibility allowed her to approach graduate education in a way that worked for her, while connecting with classmates from different professional backgrounds across the country.

Through the program, Faith began to see how the pieces of her professional life could fit together. She was already doing the work she loved, but her coursework helped her think more intentionally about her practice and the career she wanted to create.

That learning has also encouraged her to reflect on her own well-being. For a recent project, Faith developed a zine exploring caregiver and compassion fatigue, drawing on what she's learned about the importance of caring for herself while supporting others. She hopes to share the finished project with people working in similar settings.

Continuing to Create and Connect

What began as an opportunity to explore graduate education has inspired Faith to continue her graduate learning. Faith plans to enroll in MECA&D’s online Master of Arts in Education program (MAEd) after she finishes up her certificate.

The certificate helped her discover that graduate school could fit into her life and gave her the confidence to continue developing a career that brings together her love of theater, education, and arts justice.

Looking back on the path she's created, Faith states, “this is the best use of my theater degree.” Through her dedication to arts justice, she's found a way to bring her creativity and passion together while helping others find connection through art.

Explore MECA&D Online Programs Maine College of Art & Design’s online Graduate Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy are designed for working professionals seeking flexible, high-impact education. With an emphasis on creative practice, trauma-informed care, and career advancement, MECA&D prepares students to lead in evolving fields at the intersection of art, wellness, and community engagement.