Something that many of my readers don’t know about me is that I’m non-binary. This means I don’t identify as either a man or a woman, but it can mean a lot of different things for different people. Since I came out in late April, I’ve actively sought out other non-binary people within my community who I find powerful, creative, and inspiring. This series, “Students Who Break The Binary,” focuses on non-binary students who are changing the world around them while breaking the binary and societal expectations.
One of the first students I interviewed for this series is Jho Rhamos. Rhamos, who uses they/them pronouns and hails from Bangor, Maine, is a recent graduate of Hampden Academy. They are a creative and free-spirited person with a variety of passions, interests, and aspirations – one of their most prominent interests being voice acting.
“My dream is to become a voice actor,” Rhamos stated. “That’s a little difficult- thanks to my prior acting experience being as dry as the Sahara! But, I’ve been able to create connections to the industry and it’s given me a bit of a head start!”
Jho did note that there are some difficulties that non-binary voice actors face in their field, specifically related to representation and recognition of their identities. For example, Voquent.com, a website aimed at hiring voice actors, only formally recognized non-binary gender identities last year. Additionally, Jho pointed out that there were “very few non-binary people within the field and even fewer that actually book credited roles.”
This is a struggle that they may have to navigate once they do more work in the field — but one I am sure they will get through with grit, grace, and strength.
In order to achieve their goal of becoming a voice actor, Jho is about to take classes related to the field online at Blumvox Studios, a California based school operating remotely under the direction of a famous voice actor, Steve Blum.
However, it’s important to note that this is not the only one of Jho’s interests. In fact, they enjoy a variety of other hobbies that aren’t entirely related to their field. One of their most intense interests is art- during our interview, Jho showed me a sketch-book full of their artwork, which mostly consisted of anime-style drawings of people. In addition to their art, Jho also is passionate about video games, which they have both played and designed throughout their life.
Jho is a passionate, well-rounded person. Their creativity, theatricality, passion for the arts and technology, and perseverance are bound to take them far in life.