Jon Fulton, who is graduating with a double major in English and early childhood education, has spent all four years in college as a member of the Gamma Phi Circus. Throughout that time with Gamma Phi, he has performed in the clown act and recently served as president.
“Someone told me to try Gamma Phi Circus because it’s really fun, and it’s a great way to be able to perform,” Fulton said. “I decided to come and try it out. All the things Gamma Phi does are so cool. You walk in the gym and see people 10 feet up in the air flying around. It’s amazing.”
He came to Illinois State without any idea of how he wanted to get involved on campus. After his freshman year as a troupe member, he knew that he loved Gamma Phi and wanted to keep getting more involved.
After participating as a clown his freshman year, Fulton became the clown act captain, the person in charge of the act. As an act captain, one of his duties was to assist troupe members who wanted to be a part of the clown act. He also became the social chair on the executive board, in charge of programming events for the group and bringing the group together. Eventually, he became president.
“I was president of the Gamma Phi Circus, working to support the whole circus through a lot of different means, whether that was talking with individuals in the circus, helping plan and program, making schedules, and talking to outreach groups,” Fulton said. “It helped me grow personally during that transition from a teenager into an adult.”
The 2019 show stands out as one of his best memories from the circus, Fulton said.
“Our show was music themed, and the clowns got really attached to kazoos,” he said. “It was so funny playing around with all my friends and learning how to make kazoos funny. A lot of being a clown is finding different ways to be ridiculous and silly.”
In addition, he said the experience could be emotional at times.
“You’re in the arena, and there’s thousands of people watching you perform,” he said. “I remember taking our final bow and feeling so overwhelmed by emotion. It’s a powerful moment of seeing all of these people around you who are here to support you and your art.”
In the fall, Fulton finished up his student teaching placement where he was teaching kindergartners. He will teach in a first-grade classroom in January.
“I won’t ever be a clown in the classroom,” he said. “I might have some fun, silly moments, but I won’t be wearing all that face makeup for my students.”
Fulton said he’s grateful for the unique opportunity he had to perform with Gamma Phi.
“There’s only one other college in the nation that has a circus, so being able to say that you got to do that for four years of your college life is really special,” he said. “I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. I’ll never forget my time in Gamma Phi Circus, and I’ll take it with me and the experiences I’ve gotten from it wherever I end up.”
For more information about how Illinois State is celebrating commencement this semester, visit the Graduation Services website.
