Joshua Suiter, 2018 graduate of the historic Hillside High School, says his loving but firm fifth grade Pearsontown Elementary Schools teacher, now Dr. Tawauna Stewart, set the tone for the rest of his academic career, he said.
“That was the first year I wasn’t worried about my parents,” said Suiter, noting that his everyday goal was to avoid letting his teacher down. The parents were a given.
Dr. Stewart, who is now a principal, “took a chance on me,” he said. “You couldn't get over on her and get away with things. She was loving but firm.”
When he was promoted to Rogers-Herr Middle School, which he deemed “another great school,” he became immersed in his work and extra-curriculars. He played alto sax in the band, and was a football, basketball, and track athlete. “There was no off-season. That was the beginning of finding my purpose.”
He says he traveled that journey with an entourage of advocates. “I had some amazing teachers,” he continued, naming Ms. Miske, Mr. Bloom, and Coach Beasley. “They and administrators handled us with grace and care and love,” said Suiter.
He attended Jordan for the first two years of high school and transferred to Hillside High School after his mom challenged him to pursue his love of acting there.
Suiter says that music, sports, and the arts were driving forces in his life. He loved science, too. He began acting at the age of six at the ANFO Performing Arts Summer Camp at North Carolina Central University, where he played the Sultan in “Aladdin”.
Now a 2022 graduate of N.C. A&T University, he is preparing for a move to Los Angeles to continue pursuing his purpose now that he’s booked a Hulu special called “All’s Fair”, a series about an all-women’s legal team, that is scheduled for a November 2025 release. The show is produced by Ryan Murphy, creator of “Glee”, “American Horror Stories”, “Jeffrey Dahmer”, and “The Menendez Brothers”.
Suiter says he’ll never forget that Dr. Stewart could see what he didn’t see in himself. He remembers that she told her students to ‘Shine and be great.’ “It was more than just doing your work. It was about learning how to carry yourself in school. Disruption shifts the classroom but so does good behavior,” he said.
Dr. Stewart called her students “Shining Stars” and gave her students star-shaped stickers— a memento he says he’ll never forget. He kept his sticker on his door to his room at home until he left for college. He said he learned from Dr. Stewart that, “When I have someone who cares about me, I carry myself differently.”
Suiter chose athletics for a short time before returning to acting and “walking back into my purpose” after seeing a performance of “The Wiz” at Jordan High School. He began working on stages for the performances, and was asked to audition. When he was told he had to sing, he nervously refused. But he had told himself he’d never be a spectator again, that he needed to be on the stage. So he finally relented and eventually overcame his fear of singing in public. (Later, while at N.C. A&T, Jasmine Guy of the famed “Different World” sit-com complimented him on his notes during a performance.)
The summer before he began his tenure at Hillside, Suiter attended a summer camp hosted by Hillside alum and actor Lauren E. Banks and never looked back.
“A huge part of my transformation was my participation in the arts, which encouraged me to be myself,” he said.
Suiter is a legacy graduate of Hillside, following in the footsteps of his aunts, his mother, and his brother, who was involved in the Art department. He acted in his first play at Hillside during his Junior year when he played the Tin Man in the school’s adaptation of “The Wiz”. His roles ranged from creative director to writer for productions of the plays “Fences”, “Madagascar”, and “High School Musical”.
“Hillside changed my life,” said Suiter. He mentions additional influencers like Dr. William Logan, his former principal, and Wendell Tabb, his drama instructor. Mrs. McDuffie was a science teacher whom he also thought was amazing.
Suiter was crowned Mr. Hillside during his senior year, and it was here that he began to shift toward preparing for his future.
“I got to see Black people flourish at every level. All around me, they were earning millions of dollars in academic scholarships, excelling in athletics,” he said. “Durham Public Schools helped shape me into the man I am today.”
Now with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Professional Theatre, Joshua recounts his involvement in the Student Government Association, serving as Mr A&T Intern, Mr. Sophomore, and eventually Mr. A&T.
“The blueprint for serving in that capacity came from being Mr. Hillside,” he said.
In college, he took advantage of opportunities to explore, which leveled the playing field for him, he said. He even met producer/director Will Packer, who is the reason he was a trophy presenter at the Academy Awards in 2022.
“I got to hold the trophy and meet actors I love and admire,” he said. He even performed Ain’t Misbehavin’ at NC A&T while Jasmine Guy and Loretta Devine were present. “It’s just crazy how the bread crumbs are there. It was all there.”
Suiter said believing in oneself is key.
“So many people will have things to say, but you have the final say-so The only person who can stop you is you.This is your story to tell. Nobody else has the agency to tell it. It’s you. Stay the course. You will reap the benefits,” said Suiter.
Suiter, the youngest of five siblings in a close-knit family, said moving far away from home was an intentional career decision.
He said, “I’m moving far away from home to help bring that spotlight on home. It’s so amazing to be a part of that. I want to go out there and show the world there’s so much talent in Durham. I want to help the next talent. We’re rolling out the carpet so they can just walk on it and fulfill their purpose, too. We’ve got stars, too! I love my city.”