Coronado Unified School District has been graduating distinguished students for over 100 years! We are incredibly proud of all our Islander alumni, and will be highlighting some of them each month to celebrate their achievements.
This month our focus is on Dillon Evans, CHS and Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA) class of 2011. This year CoSA is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Dillon is one among 2,000 CoSA graduates that are being honored in its “20 Years of Creating Stars” tribute. As the premier public school arts conservatory in San Diego County, CoSA works with dedicated and driven students in theater, dance, digital arts, instrumental music, visual arts and technical theater, and Dillon was a standout even in this exceptional crowd.
Dillon’s passion for theater started well before joining CoSA. As a three-year old, Dillon was hosting shows on his bed to the delight of family and friends. Fast-forward to his teen years when Dillon was thriving in the CoSA program. As a “techie” in the Technical Theatre conservatory, he learned lighting design, how to design and build a stage set, complex audio systems, and his favorite – stage management. It was when he stepped into the role of a production manager for a school musical that the stars aligned for Dillon and he knew what he wanted his future to look like.
During his high school years, Dillon built on his CoSA foundations by interning at local theaters including The Old Globe in Balboa Park and Cygnet Theater. Dillon was accepted to Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle; after a year there, he transferred to CAL Arts in Los Angeles, where he pursued his studies in technical theatre and stage management, graduating in 2015.
Dillon already has several professional accomplishments to his credit, starting with an internship with Viacom, the parent company for networks like MTV, VH1, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. He followed that up by working for Cirque du Soleil, a dream he had nurtured since 7th grade.
After a successful three-month placement with Cirque du Soleil, he moved to The Experience Company, part of the Thinkwell Group. The Experience Company does master planning of large-scale destination resorts, theme parks, museums, exhibition halls, and venues for the performance of live musical and theatrical shows.
Dillon attributes much of his success to the foundation he built at CoSA. “My time at CoSA helped me to find my passion and gave me the basic skills to begin my career. If I hadn’t gone there, I wouldn’t have been introduced to stage management, which has opened countless opportunities for me.”
CUSD, CHS and CoSA are committed to giving every student the foundations for success and the vision to see the countless opportunities that await them after graduating. We look forward to profiling our amazing alumni each month and sharing with your their stories of meaningful lives well-lived.
