This feature originally appeared in the Summer edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.

ACT I
SCENE: Asha Culhane-Husain is in Dublin, Ireland. It's her junior year at Cal, but she's studying abroad at the prestigious Gaiety School of Acting, Ireland's National Theater School. It is a place that has trained such notable actors as Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde.
 
She's running across Phoenix Park, a field that has featured concerts from Coldplay to Kanye. She's holding her phone, recording voice memos for class projects. She's also training to stay in shape, with the goal of competing in the heptathlon as a senior at Cal. But while she's doing it, she's discovering her love of the spoken word. It allows her to put emotion into words.
 
CULHANE-HUSAIN: "I took a theater class (during her freshman year) because I wanted to get out of a box and who I feel like I am. Track has been that for me, making me uncomfortable. Public speaking was another way to do that more academically. I took a class and loved it."
 
That's why Culhane-Husain wanted to go to Ireland. She had one theater class on the side while taking a full load of business classes. However, this was her chance to explore acting more, so she took advantage of it. She spent full days studying acting, movement, dance, theater and performing spoken word speeches in front of her ensemble. It's something she took back to Berkeley.
 
ACT II
SCENE: Culhane-Husain has returned to Cal. She's eager to find ways to showcase her newfound passion for the spoken word.
 
She speaks at the Student-Athlete Academic Honors Luncheon in May 2017 and the "Women Breaking Barriers" panel featuring Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf in March 2018.
 
However, acting and public speaking aren't Culhane-Husain's only passions. She has also stood out in the Haas School of Business, earning grades that landed her on the Pac-12 All-Academic team. She was able to combine those passions as the student speaker for the Haas School of Business commencement.
 
CULHANE-HUSAIN: "I think that being a good actor means you are really good at telling the truth through a different lens. Acting is about taking on an identity of a person that you are not. In order to do that, you have to read the other person or turn into a completely new person in order to do that really well on stage. I think if you are going to start a business or give a presentation, one of the most important things is being able to read the other people in your group or the audience."
 
Well-rounded in the classroom, you wouldn't expect anything different athletically from her. Culhane-Husain competed in the grueling seven-event heptathlon, finishing her career with a personal best as she took 12th at the Pac-12 Championships.
 
THE NEXT ACT
SCENE: Culhane-Husain has graduated from Cal with a business administration degree and a minor in theater. She won a $10,000 Oscar Geballe Postgraduate Scholarship, given annually to Cal student-athletes who exemplify the combination of scholarship and competition.
 
Culhane-Husain's next step will be to get a master's degree in history and literature from Columbia University through a program where she visits multiple universities in France. She is brushing up on her French this summer in preparation.
 
Culhane-Husain isn't sure what her future holds. But don't be surprised if you hear about her acting, or performing in spoken word, or if she's running a company. Maybe all of the above.