The Villages - May 2021 - 45

Dressing as Capt. James T. Kirk, Albert Einstein and
others helps Drake Shepard teach Enrichment Academy
students about characters both real and fictional
BY MARK ANDERSON
Village of Poinciana resident Drake Shepard is an
interesting character - or rather, several of them.
As the instructor of multiple courses for the
Enrichment Academy, Shepard often gets into character,
both literally and figuratively, for his classes.
" I have 29 classes that I've developed, and 11 of them
are based on personalities like Kirk, Edison, Einstein,
Andrew Carnegie, Frank Lloyd Wright and Henry Ford -
people who actually made a big difference and impact on
our lives, " Shepard said. " That's what I like doing. "
Along with his character presentations, Shepard
also covers a wide range of topics - a class about exotic
locations around the world, several history classes on
ancient civilizations and other presentations on science,
politics and society.
During all of his classes and presentations, Shepard
uses humor to make the topic relatable for attendees
instead of simply standing at the front of the room and
droning on for an hour.
" I do history and science, but with some
entertainment in between, " he said. " Otherwise,
you lose the audience, and that's not a good
thing to do. You've got to make it fun, and a lot
of people come out here for the fun, but they
also want to learn. So, it's both. "
When he dives into a character or topic,
Shepard learns everything he can about the
person or subject. For his Captain Kirk class,
Shepard called on his knowledge of the
show from watching it as a kid, but
he also found ways to take the topics
presented in the show and relate them
to modern events.

" I loved 'Star Trek' as a kid, but I wasn't that much
into it - but I do like the ideas that came from it, "
Shepard said. " I'm not a Trekkie, but I appreciate talking
about the future. Too many people talk about the past,
which is nice, but the future also counts, too. "
Getting in front of a class and teaching attendees
about a topic is not only something Shepard is passionate
about - it is his way of contributing to a community he
cares about.
" When I give classes or presentations to other
clubs here, I feel like I'm still in college giving reports
to classmates who share my interests, " he said. " Since
The Villages is Disneyland for seniors, I give people
here what they want - fun with knowledge and some
entertainment. This is my way of giving back to a
wonderful community. "
Catch one of his classes at the Enrichment Academy
or elsewhere around The Villages, and you can be sure
you will leave with a newfound knowledge or respect for a
particular character or topic. And, for Shepard, the quest
for knowledge is what drives him to continue
learning and teaching year-round.
" This is really meant to inspire people, " he
said. " It's meant, really, to take action. I want
people to take a chance, do the dance, find
romance and what they love. That's what I would
like. Instead of having a boulder on my
shoulder and growing kind of older, I
want to act bolder with some smolder. "

Shepard as inventor
Thomas Edison.
MAGAZINE

45
The Villages - May 2021

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