After attending high school at WISH Academy as an honors student, Reuben Dodd recently completed his first semester as a freshman studying theater at Loyola Marymount University. For many young people, attending college is a long-held dream. For Reuben and his family, it is a hard-won milestone shaped by extraordinary perseverance, steadfast optimism, and more than a few medical miracles.
Reuben is profoundly deaf and has CHARGE Syndrome, a rare genetic condition. He also has Klippel-Feil Syndrome, where some of the bones in his neck are fused together, causing his head to tilt. Since birth, he’s had 22 surgeries, including two open-heart surgeries and dozens of procedures. Cochlear implants now allow him to hear and his voice is strong and expressive.
When Reuben speaks about college life, his tone is grounded and optimistic–less focused on what he has overcome, and more on what lies ahead.
A Westchester native, Reuben lives just two miles from the LMU campus and says selecting the school was an easy choice because, “I have a very good connection with the community.”
One of the strongest experiences tying him to LMU began the year before he applied. As a teenager, Reuben became affiliated with the university’s men’s water polo team through Team Impact, a nonprofit that pairs youth with serious medical conditions and disabilities with college athletic teams.
“I was paired with the LMU water polo team,” Reuben says, “And I was really, really happy to be part of that.”
For him, the partnership created more than an athletic mindset: it created belonging. That feeling of being welcomed into the larger LMU community has continued into his college experience.
Choosing theater
Reuben has worked professionally as a film actor since the age of 11. He appeared in the film “I Still Believe,” playing a supporting role as the son of actors Shania Twain and Gary Sinise. For Reuben, that experience was meaningful, not just because it was a professional film, but because it proved to him that he belonged in storytelling spaces.
But while film opened the door to acting, live theater is his current focus.
“The reason why I’m doing theater is because over the last couple of years I have enjoyed stage productions more than having to wait for an audition, and then recording the audition with all the self-tape equipment,” he says.
Anyone who has spent time around working actors these days knows the stress of self-taping auditions on short notice, waiting for the phone to ring, and then dealing with rejection over and over. The process can take a toll.
Reuben’s mother, Catherine Lacey Dodd, a professional photographer, says he’s had at least 150 auditions–and counting. To her that seems like a lot, but she was recently reassured by the words of a famous actor.
“There was a George Clooney quote the other day. He said, ‘You have to do 100 auditions to book a part.’ That’s the tenacity that you need, and Reuben does have that tenacity,” says Catherine. “He also has that really cheerful disposition. He gets frustrated sometimes, but it’s that determination, that resilience–and that’s really a part of CHARGE syndrome that we universally see.”
Reuben also likes the structure and camaraderie live theater offers.
“Theater has been a bit better for me, because instead of looking into the camera, I’m looking out into a live audience,” he says. “I think that’s a better experience, and I enjoy making new friendships along the way during rehearsals.”
Finding momentum on campus
Even in his first semester, Reuben has already begun performing at LMU. He recently appeared in a staged reading of “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.”
“It was a great way to end the semester for me,” he says, noting the production ran nearly three-and-a-half hours–no small commitment for a student balancing coursework and rehearsals.
His entire family, including his 17-year-old brother Callum and dad Jason, was in the audience.
His love of theater goes back to high school, where he played the Wizard of Oz in “The Wiz” with the Kentwood Players and had roles in “Legally Blonde,” “Mean Girls,” “Cinderella” and “Frozen” with Puttin’ on Productions Manhattan Beach (POPs). One of the most meaningful memories from that time, his mother Catherine says, is when the LMU water polo players showed up to watch him perform. It was an early sign of the support he’s surrounded with that continues today.
Advocacy through visibility
Reuben’s ambitions as an actor are closely tied to his belief that representation of disabled people in TV, film and theater matters.
“Everyone deserves a chance to get what they want in life. And everyone who wants to pursue an acting career should be able to have some sort of backing,” he says.
He also spoke about the limited number of roles available to disabled performers and the frustration of seeing those roles go to non-disabled actors.
“They’re few and far between anyway,” he says, underscoring why authentic casting is important.
The support behind the success
For Catherine, watching her son thrive at LMU carries deep emotional weight. Early medical prognoses painted a far more limited future than the one Reuben is now living.
“Shortly after birth, I remember one doctor saying, ‘Do you want us to do everything for him?’ You know, almost as if to say, ‘Do you want to allow us to let him expire?’ Another doctor said he’s likely to have the intellectual capacity of a 2-month-old at 16. I mean, it was really shocking,” says Catherine. “I’ve pushed him quite a lot as a result because I feel like I’ve almost had to sort of over-prove things. I haven’t put those limits on him. I’ve let him explore everything possible.”
When asked how he keeps motivated, Reuben says it’s the people around him who inspire him.
“I get the support of my family and friends, and I get help from my teachers,” he says.
Looking ahead
Reuben is optimistic about having a career as an actor, whether it be on stage or screen.
“I’m happy that I’m already getting out there,” he says. “I didn’t think it would be that easy for me.”
For now, the fact that he’s already building momentum is enough. He’s been cast in another staged reading for next semester and is eager to keep performing.
Reuben Dodd’s story is not just about resilience, it’s about possibility, community, and a young actor giving a voice to so many disabled people who have been overlooked. At LMU, he isn’t just studying theater; he’s living it.
By Shanee Edwards. Photos by Catherine Lacey Dodd.