Jonathan Tazewell, Class of 1984, is proof that career success and fulfillment don't always arrive on the fast track. The former schoolteacher turned actor, filmmaker, and college professor illustrates that a liberal-arts education prepares people for a variety of paths in life.

"A liberal-arts education can make it more difficult, in a sense, to find your ultimate calling," says the former chemistry major. "But when I think about all the many blessings I've gotten from my Kenyon education, I know no place could have started me on a more interesting journey."

Tazewell's journey currently involves teaching in Kenyon's Department of Dance and Drama--and independent filmmaking. He recently finished the screenplay Paradise Street, an autobiographical look at integration in Akron, Ohio, in 1976. And recently, with the assistance of several Kenyon students, Tazewell shot a short film that he plans to put on the festival circuit upon its completion.

Tazewell recently showcased Kenyon's strong connections to Hollywood and the film industry by bringing in several alumni for a two-day festival. Along with Tazewell, such notables as critic Jay Cocks, Class of 1964, who co-wrote the screenplay for The Age of Innocence with Martin Scorsese, and Chris Eigeman, Class of 1987, a leading actor who has appeared in the films Barcelona, Metropolitan, and The Last Days of Disco, discussed and screened their work for the College.