Kayden Cotten is finishing his senior year at Burke High with one foot on the stage and the other in the newsroom. As a lead performer in the drama program and an editor for the Burke Beat, he’s become adept at switching from blocking a scene to cutting copy, from late-night rehearsals to last-minute layout fixes. That blend of creative practice and practical responsibility is shaping how he spends his days and how he imagines the future.
Onstage, Kayden describes the drama program as “a small family.” Long rehearsals have become shared milestones: costume fittings, cue calls and the frantic joy of opening night. Those routines taught him to read people quickly, adapt on the fly and trust a team—skills that matter whether you’re nailing a dramatic pause or running a scene change.
In the newsroom, Kayden’s role is more structured but just as demanding. As an editor he plans coverage, reviews copy and coordinates deadlines. The pressure to publish on schedule sharpened his time management and attention to detail. He says the editorial work has reinforced an ability to pivot mentally—going from a creative rehearsal mindset to crisp, clear reporting when a deadline looms.
Balancing both commitments hasn’t been simple. Kayden divides his afternoons between rehearsal rooms and editorial meetings, and evenings often include college applications. Those overlapping demands forced him to develop routines that keep him punctual and focused: calendar blocks for rehearsals, prioritized to-do lists for articles, and short recovery breaks to stay sane. The payoff, he says, is a set of transferable skills—leadership, quick problem solving and clear communication—that will travel well beyond high school.
The social side of Burke High matters to him, too. He reflects often on hallway conversations, spontaneous lunchroom debates and the small rituals that shaped his friendships. Graduation will change that daily proximity, and Kayden expects the relationships to evolve rather than evaporate. Still, he admits he’ll miss the immediacy of being surrounded by collaborators every day.
Practical concerns are close behind emotion. Kayden is finishing college applications now, and admissions decisions will help determine his next steps—whether a performing-arts program, a communications major, or a path that combines both. Regardless of which door opens, he plans to carry the ensemble mindset and newsroom discipline into whatever comes next.
The Burke Beat itself depends on community support to keep those opportunities alive. Donations cover hosting, equipment repairs and software licenses—small, recurring costs that let student journalists publish regularly and maintain digital archives. Kayden and his peers rely on that infrastructure to keep beats running and arts coverage consistent, especially as senior editors graduate and hand off responsibilities.
This profile was reported and edited by Jasmine Allen, a senior and one of three Arts editors at the Burke Beat. The newsroom will continue to update readers about funding needs and student projects as Kayden and other seniors wrap up the school year and prepare for what comes next.