To say Rebeca Anvik is a planner is an understatement. From a very young age, Anvik had her entire future laid out: graduate high school, go to an out-of-state university, perhaps ivy league, get married, and start a family. But as life seems to do, plans changed.
After experiencing a freak accident at work her senior year of high school, Anvik’s future was stopped in its tracks as she focused on getting her health back. Anvik said putting college on hold was devastating and shocking and changed the trajectory of her life.
“I felt like everything came crashing down around me,” she said, recalling how she felt in those early months after the accident. “I had a backup plan to my backup plans. Everything in my life was supposed to ‘go’ a certain way.”
Anvik is a first generation American whose parents immigrated from Romania to study here in the states. Her parents, who came over as foreign exchange students, instilled in her the importance of education and discovering ways (scholarships) to pay for her education. So, when Anvik’s college aspirations were sidelined, she felt lost.
Turning to her theatre passion to help pave the way, Anvik began working in 2016 as an after-school drama instructor teaching grade-school kids after her accident in 2015. She also took up theatre at MoezArt Productions, a local theatre production company. In January 2021, Anvik re-entered the academic world enrolling at Paradise Valley Community College, where she is studying theatre. She loves the program and working with Andrea Robertson, director of PVCC’s Theatre Program.
Anvik is still dreaming about her future, however, she also has learned to slow down and live in the moment. As for the future, she would like to continue her theatre education after PVCC at a local university, earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Down the road, she and her husband, whom she met at MoezArt Productions where they both work, would also like to open a non-profit performing arts program for underprivileged children.
“We both think the arts are really important and if students are focused on their arts – whether it be dance, theatre, or music – when negative things happen in their life, it can help lift their spirits and get them through the hard times,” she said.
In hindsight, Anvik is gracious for how things have worked out. “I never imagined starting college as a married woman. However, if my accident had not happened, I would not be here, I would never have met my husband, and never started working at my company. My husband taught me to go for my dreams and goals. He knows how long I’ve wanted to be in college. I love school and I could not imagine doing college without the support of my husband.”