“Follow your dreams and do what you were born to do, do what you were created to do,” Rich Swingle said, an internationally renowned actor who came to AHS today. He performed for English teacher Cynthia Sebring’s junior class and theater arts teacher George Bennet’s class during the R3 period.

A close friend of Sebring’s, Swingle came to share his experiences as an actor to the new generation of learners and doers.

To begin the presentation, Swingle performed a segment of his one-man play “Beyond the Chariots,” a continuation of the Academy Award winning film, “Chariots of Fire”.

Swingle played Olympic runner Eric Liddell as a Christian missionary in war-torn China and an arrogant Chinese Boxer.

After his performance, Swingle described his journey to produce his play with slides and photos of the people he met and the sights he saw.

Notable slides included Swingle nearing the border of North Korea in a boat, attending the 2008 Olympics, and performing for financially struggling Filipinos in Hong Kong.

Swingle was proud of explaining how education, coincidences and connections made his career possible and enjoyable.

“The skills you learn stay with you forever. Love each [school] subject. Give your [dream] five years and see what happens.”

To read more about Rich Swingle, click here