Traci Meister '04
Traci Meister (center) and friends at an Otterbein performance in 2007.Home: I travel throughout the country and I’ll touch back once I land somewhere.
Hometown: Shaker Heights, Ohio
Occupation: I am the owner and founder of Egyptian Eye Productions, LLC.
Major at Otterbein: My major at Otterbein was English, with a focus in Creative Writing.
What have you been doing since your graduation from Otterbein? I went on to Ohio University, where I earned my Master of Arts degree in English, Theater and Film. From that point I started my own company, Egyptian Eye Productions, LLC. Egyptian Eye Productions utilizes the written and spoken language to help promote healing and growth for the human condition. We call it The Word Movement. The company is a hub for: (1) seYYes - my debut poetry album, which is speaking to transcend all boundaries of the written and spoken language (2) workshops and lectures in the areas of creative writing, social uplifting, and personal growth (3) Free Style - custom greeting card line (4) plays, films, children’s books and varied genres of written expression (5) The Meisterknecht Project - the initiative to provide notable service to circumstances of need within the extended community - our current outreach is raising funds for relief in Darfur. I have been performing my poetry around the country, in places such as Washington D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; Davenport, Iowa; and of course Cleveland, Columbus, and Athens, Ohio. I am currently a student at the International School of Ministry and I am simply trying to fulfill purpose while I’m here. This is only the beginning.
What interest and/or hobbies do you have? I love to write; but for me it is more of a means to an end - I have something that I want to show and express to the world, and the pen on the page helps to transform it into something that I can translate outward. I love music - praise, gospel, country, R&B, reggae, hip-hop - it just takes me into a place of calm. I like movies in and out of the theater - for a moment you get to be in another world - I dig it. I like spending time with family and friends - you can’t beat that.
What is a special Otterbein memory? I have many - some that make me smile, and others cause a tear. It was a wonderful time, and I am grateful for it. If I had to name one, it would be delivering a speech at Freshman Convocation during my senior year. I was so honored to have been asked, and upon actual delivery of the speech I realized a new place within myself - a place that not only felt social commentary, but was also able to project it. I felt a freedom and purpose that I had not yet felt up to that point. Beyond that, Dean Gatti, the English Department, AASU - and all of the people that made up this group, my sorors - the members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, and so much more made Otterbein a place to remember.