Becton Regional High School hosted, for the first time, performer, poet, and psychologist Dr. Michael “Mykee” Fowlin who produced a one-man presentation entitled ‘You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me.’

Through four different scenes, the presenter combined his acting skills and his degree in psychology to create an atmosphere where the audience felt included and able to talk about real-life issues.

SAC Counselor Ms. Klamerus organized the school-wide assembly after she saw Mykee at a conference because she liked how he presented his message. She wanted the Carlstadt and East Rutherford students to see and understand how important they are and believes that Dr. Fowlin was ultimately effective in helping Becton students understand their place in the world.  

Fowlin developed and portrayed four characters to attempt to change students’ perspectives of how they view others and to accept them for who they are. He created a 16-year old feminist, a gay college football player, a disabled man, and a kindergartener with ADHD to create an environment where hard-to-talk-about issues were brought to light.

Topics such as diversity, sexual assault, self-harm, gender inequality, depression, etc. moved the Becton audience and gave them the chance to see a different perspective than the one they may be used to.

The speaker accurately expressed what an individual’s life can be like behind the “mask” he or she puts on in front of friends, coworkers, and bosses and illustrated the truth about what so many people go through and what they are like behind the mask that they wear every day. Dr. Fowlin’s main goal was to shift students’ opinions on people in their everyday lives; he wanted the audience to not only tolerate but to accept each other’s differences.

Freshman Elaha Ahmed commented that the presenter was “really inspiring because we could feel his pain that many other people can relate to” while Freshman Azmi Ahmed added that “there are many stories that aren’t usually talked about, and Mykee told them. He made me cry and realize that change in life is possible if you don’t give up.”