Musical theatre major, national chess champion, football player, Michigan State fan, drummer, singer, man of God, guitarist, wrestler, senior, gamer, Otterbein student, alternative rocker. All these words can be used to describe Adam Schalter.

Schalter grew up in East Lancing, Michigan. He played football and wrestled his first two years of high school, but sports ended up taking a back seat to his real passion, musical theatre.

Since high school, Schalter has been in over 12 shows. Half of those shows have been since he’s been at Otterbein.

He really liked playing Little Charles in “August: Osage County.” He was excited that he got to write his own song for the part where his character sings to Ivy.

Schalter liked the integration of professional actors and professors into the play.

Schalter also enjoyed play Gangster number two in “Drowsy Chaperone.” What’s interesting is that the other Gangster, played by Dolan Bloom who graduated last year, went to elementary school with Adam.

Next semester he will be embarking on an internship in New York City with Law and Order SVU. He will be working in the casting department. He wants to go in and learn the business and learn through casting what kind of people the outside acting world is really looking for.

There is more to Schalter than theatre, however.

When he was in the fifth grade, Schalter was the National Chess Champion for kindergarten though eighth grade.

He was on a flag football team for Otterbein’s intramural sports. His team won this year and is having t-shirts made to celebrate their victory. Schalter loves football. He grew up close to Michigan State and is a huge fan. He also loves to play football, and played his freshman year in high school.

“If I had the genetics for it I would have loved to play sports on a professional level.”

Religion is a big part of Schalter’s life.

He is a Christian, but he loves to learn about other religions. Recently, he got to preach at the Family Weekend service. If he wasn’t a musical theatre major, Schalter would be a religion major.

“I really love reading the Bible and studying it,” Schalter said.

However, he feels that if he was a religion major, his heart would not be in it like theatre and that he would become too much like a book, only good for his knowledge.

Andrew Jordan, religion and philosophy professor, has had a huge influence on Schalter while at Otterbein. Schalter says that Jordan doesn’t degrade his students for being wrong, is very humble and an all around good guy.

“The thing that I appreciated most is that he is able to listen to people.” Schalter said.

He feels like he and Jordan are good friends, not just professor and student.

“It’s been great having Adam in class this semester, said Jordan. “He’s contributed a tremendous amount. The class is in the art building, and I walk back to main campus afterwards. Adam, Kyle Marler and I have adopted the habit of walking back together and we tend to extend our discussion for half an hour or more each day that we meet.”

Schalter feels like Jordan is one of the few professors that he can have a relationship with after college.

So what is next for Schalter?

He doesn’t really know. He believes that God has a will for his life and he will do exactly what God wants him to do. Schalter doesn’t care what ends up doing, remarkable or not, as long as it is a matter of his heart.