Staff and Their Passions: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Acting
Sami Ahmad (Communications and Marketing) started practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) when he was a teenager and trained off and on when he was an Emerson student. He and some friends had an unofficial jiu-jitsu club; they would set up mats in the Paramount Studios and spar for an hour or two.
After he graduated, he continued to train sporadically but found his way back to a consistent practice a few years ago. He currently takes BJJ classes twice a week at a gym in South Boston. He has been a blue belt for almost 10 years. (The belt levels are white, blue, purple, brown, black, and red [lowest to highest]).
Ahmad enjoys the opportunity to meet different people and learn different moves. He also noted that it’s nice to have an outlet to move his body and be playful. He said, “I really enjoy martial arts. It’s a great exercise physically and mentally. When it comes to doing martial arts, you are pushing yourself. You’re challenging yourself a little bit every time and trying to grow past what you perceive as your limitations.”
The skills he hones from practicing BJJ translate well to his role as a multimedia producer at Emerson. Being in good physical shape makes it easier for him to hustle around campus with a lot of gear and crouch and run to take photographs and videos. Timing is also a key element in BJJ, and having this skill facilitates his ability to anticipate good shots.
The mental acuity required for BJJ assists him in coping with stressful situations at work. He said, “There’s nothing like a two-hundred-pound man sitting on your head to teach you how to calm down in moments of incredible stress.” He also credits the sport for teaching him resilience and building his confidence over the years.
For anyone who’s interested in trying BJJ, Ahmad recommends trying a class and attending a few times per week if you enjoy it. He also mentioned that you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself if you’re not immediately the best person in the gym.
Matt Finn (Academic Affairs) has been acting in theatre productions for more than three decades. His first role was in an 8th-grade production of The Little Red Schoolhouse. His character Flash Graham mostly slept in the class, so it was an easy role to begin with, Finn joked. He did a theatre minor in undergrad and also took classes outside of his college coursework.
He acts in both plays and in musical theatre productions, but sometimes he prefers plays so he can focus more on the acting and not worry about singing and dancing as well. He usually performs in two to three productions per year. The time commitment varies depending on the theatre company. He is currently rehearsing three days a week for a little over two months for a musical called The Prom, which is being produced by the Footlight Club in Jamaica Plain, MA. It will have seven performances over three weekends. For a production he was in this past fall, he was in the rehearsal room six days a week for almost three weeks before the opening.
Finn’s sustained passion for live theatre stems from the unique energy and sense of community that it provides. He enjoys the connections that are formed with his fellow cast and crew members as they collaborate to create a meaningful experience.
He is continuously inspired by a theatre production’s ability to touch its audience—making them laugh, think, or feel something new. He said, “I appreciate how a well-crafted performance can subtly shift perspectives and create lasting impressions. The joy flows both ways—from the stage to the audience and back again—creating an experience that enriches everyone involved.”
Finn said that his theatre background creates a valuable connection to his work at Emerson in terms of collaboration, communication, and thoughtfulness. He also loves that he gets to work with so many incredibly talented and creative minds, just as he does in his theatre productions.
Interested in sharing your hobby in an upcoming article? Email us at people@emerson.edu.
Nancy Howell (Communications and Marketing)