Karis Soltysik grew up in Jackson, Michigan, where her parents served as state-side missionaries at Ethnos360 Bible Institute. She has felt a strong calling to missions since childhood and is currently pursuing missions and God’s calling for her life with her husband and young son. She has always had a passion for helping kids and teens discover God’s love in tangible ways. She’s been involved in helping in the nursery and children’s church since her young teens was a nanny for missionaries in Spain and spent time leading youth house builds at an internship in Mexico. She received a homeschool education that valued how to think rather than what to think and carries those values to her classroom. 

 

Karis discovered her passion for theater when she was in a youth theater camp. Not only did she love being onstage, but she also found she enjoyed telling stories that matter in the unique and collaborative way the theater provides. God directed her to a homeschool theater class in her area and she was involved in it until she graduated. Through that class, she learned stagecraft, theater history, and technique, as well as valuable life lessons in empathy and collaboration. A  few years after graduation, she got involved in a professional Christian theater company in Wisconsin. Under the mentorship of the director and other professional actors, Karis was able to grow in her knowledge and skills as an actress. She is passionate about helping her students grow and flourish onstage as they learn the valuable lessons that acting provides. 

She hopes to not only instill a love for theater and teach stagecraft, but help her students learn the importance of telling stories that matter, grow in confidence, and develop empathy. Karis hopes that her love for Jesus and acting will inspire her students and encourage them to develop a deeper relationship with Him.