For Cleo Kirkland ’07, inspiration for self-reflection came from many sources at Princeton — a classic work of African American literature, a scene study from a play, running drills during football practice — but the end result was always the same: personal growth.

The New Jersey native played football for the Tigers all four years. Being part of the football team taught Kirkland, an economics major with a certificate in African American studies, some valuable lessons. “I learned a lot about how to support people and be involved with the team without being the lead guy,” he says. He says this has helped him now that he’s in the business world. It’s taught him to value his own contributions, for example, without looking for outside accolades.

Acting class was another source of personal growth for Kirkland at Princeton. Never having taken drama in high school, he was entirely new to the world of the theater. In Professor Timothy Vasen’s scene-study class, what Kirkland calls “one of the most enlightening classes” he ever took, he discovered a passion for directing and cinematography.

That newfound insight into acting and directing led to a further appreciation of Asian cinema and Japanese anime. Once again, without any previous experience, Kirkland enrolled in a Japanese-language course and hopes to visit Japan to experience the culture firsthand.

Kirkland cites English and African American studies professor Noliwe Rooks as someone whose classes inspire self-reflection. Kirkland took two classes with Rooks, “Urban Migration” and “Popular Culture.” “Her teaching method started with the reading as a base understanding of the subject material,” says Kirkland, who feels the real insights came during class discussions. “In her classes we would look at an issue and try to gain different perspectives on it.  That’s the best way to learn.”

One of the most exciting new things Kirkland learned about himself at Princeton has nothing to do with classes or professors or football. Noticing that he could hardly turn a corner at Princeton without running into a piano, Kirkland, who had never taken a lesson, decided to take advantage.

“My friends taught me some things and I turned it into my own thing,” he says. Two years later, he turned “his own thing” into a band named, appropriately enough, Cleo the Running Back. He and another student played piano, and their unique jazz/funk fusion got them gigs all over campus.

“If I went anywhere else, I wouldn’t have learned piano,” says Kirkland. If he’d gone anywhere else, he probably wouldn’t have learned a lot of things. Happily for Kirkland — and for Princeton — he made the right choice.