Meet Onyea Cummings
Onyea Cummings guards her soft, sweet soul carefully with her witty personality-- understandably, she’s a Hufflepuff and Enneagram type Five (The Quiet Observer).
She’s an Indianapolis native, a fresh graduate from Herron High School, and is embarking upon her second summer as a Harrison Center intern tour guide; she came back for round two because “being able to nerd out is fun.”
Onyea loves Ed Sheeran, her favorite book is The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler, and learning about history and imparting her knowledge to others. When talking about her passions, her voice lights up; “I’m trying to learn more about Black history. I will sit down and talk to anyone about 1920s and 50s and 60s!”
Onyea’s favorite spot at Herron High is the theater room because that’s where she spent all of her time. She dabbled in theater but realized that the tech crew and stage managing was more her style. Her dream job is “to be a stage manager in an established theater. The backup is a marketing career!” She’ll be studying Theater Production and Marketing at Bradley University in the fall.
The “professional” high school accomplishment Onyea is most proud of is her involvement in the theater program: e.g., co-directing the last show. The personal accomplishment she’s most proud of is learning “to step out of my bubble a little-- I’m still getting there ya know, but yeah, that’s what I’m probably proud of the most.”
Onyea is learning the tricks of the touring trade from the queen of little-known facts and lover of shared places: Joanna Beatty Taft, Executive Director of the Harrison Center.
Now that the summer’s officially soaked in, Onyea is ready to show groups of curious and creative people all of the famous and hidden treasures that the Center and Herron High have to offer. If you’re interested in scheduling a tour with Onyea, contact nikki@harrisoncenter.org.
When Onyea is leading your discovery of the Center, make sure to ask her why the Hank and Dolly's Gallery is her favorite part of the tour.