A tribute to the Miami Northwestern teacher who changed my life | Opinion

Charlette Seward, a four-decade public school drama teacher and coach, died last month in Miami. Her obituary will tell you she was also a successful professional actress and Broadway veteran and that she left behind former students to reflect on the immense influence she had on their lives.

I am one of those students. Ms. Seward came into my life when I was 14 — and changed it forever.

To many, she was a legendary drama teacher. To me, she was a lifeline, a builder and the woman who saw something in me before I could see it in myself.

I was just a poor Black girl from Liberty City, moving in and out of family homes and foster care, convinced my path was already written. I grew accustomed to being in the dark, behind the scenes, so I naturally gravitated to technical theater, a little broken tomboy covered in baggy clothes to mask my fears of becoming somebody.

In high school, working behind the scenes in the drama class, I was safe, unseen. But Ms. Seward had a way of pulling you into the light.

I’ll never forget the day she found out I could sing. That I could really act. She said, “Erica, how long have you been hiding this voice, this talent from me?” That moment altered the course of my life.

From then on, she refused to let me play small. She pushed me to audition for my first national tour, where at just 15 years old, I earned my first professional role and job.

Later, she prepared me for competitions, late-night rehearsals and the discipline of the stage.

When I was 17, she stood proudly by my side as I won a 2003 state-wide high school theater competition, taking the Best Actress category with her favorite “Ma Rainey” monologue, beating seniors across the state. Afterward, she whispered in my ear, “I told you.”

Ms. Seward was more than a teacher— she was a builder of character. She demanded discipline, humility, professionalism and grit. Crisp polos, polished shoes, memorized lines — her standards were non-negotiable. She taught us that we weren’t just representing ourselves. We were representing Liberty City, showing the world that inner-city drama students could break every stereotype as Troupe 1684.

Because of her, I became the first in my family to graduate from college. It was her last promise to me. “Come hail or high water, you’re going to college.”

Deep in my soul, I didn’t believe it. But I got accepted into six schools with scholarships in theater programs. I graduated from Florida A&M University and eventually earned a master’s degree from New York University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.

Because of her, as a member of Troupe 1684, got my first passport to perform in London and Scotland. Ms. Seward had connections so we performed in New York and even on a Carnival Cruise that same year.

Because of that trip to New York, I fell in love with my dream city and ended up living there for almost 10 years.

Because of her, when I entered the corporate world, I found the courage to enter boardrooms with the same confidence she demanded on stage. By 37, I became a vice president of communications and marketing, always carrying the lessons she instilled.

I am not unique in this story. I am one of hundreds of students she built, molded and pushed into their destinies. Each of us carries a piece of her legacy into the world. Miami has lost a true legend.

Rest in peace, Ms. Seward. Thank you for seeing me. Thank you for building me. Thank you for saving me.

Erica Hicks Anderson is a strategic communications and marketing leader. Born and raised in Miami, she now lives in Dallas with her high school sweetheart and two daughters.