The Student Association Programming Board brought beloved American actress and singer-songwriter Debby Ryan to the Anderson Center stage on Thursday. Best known for her roles in “Jessie,” “16 Wishes,” “Radio Rebel” and “The Suite Life on Deck,” Ryan’s visit to Binghamton University was a nostalgic and impactful experience for many students who grew up watching her.

Since her time at Disney Channel, Ryan has transitioned into more mature roles in films and series like “Insatiable,” “Night Teeth” and “Spin Me Round.” She also recently welcomed a daughter, Felix Winter Dun, with her husband Josh Dun, the drummer of Twenty One Pilots.

“Debby was always on our screens,” Atticus Fauci, vice president for programming and a senior majoring in economics, wrote in an email. “Not only on TV, she also has found a niche on the internet with some viral moments. Yet, we knew she was much more than these quick clips/characters we grew up with. She’s an incredible creator, a recent mother, and an overall quality person.”

“An Evening With Debby Ryan” was hosted by the Insights and Comedy Committees and moderated by Katelyn Pothakul, insights chair and a junior majoring in global public health; Basil Lambros, comedy chair and a senior majoring in biomedical engineering; and Angela Kim, vice comedy chair and a sophomore majoring in business administration.

“I think this show blended the two committees’ goals wonderfully,” Fauci wrote. “She was a very passionate person that had a lot of insight for people our generation and all while being naturally charismatic and funny. In the moderated Q&A we focused on her career and how she approaches roles, then we moved onto lighter hearted subjects and moments we knew would get a laugh.”

After the moderators were introduced, Ryan took the stage and was met with a roar of applause. She began by discussing her childhood in Germany and early performance career, including her role as “teenager” in “Barney,” Edith in “The Longshots” and being her middle school’s mascot. Ryan then went on to talk about “The Suite Life on Deck,” which she worked on when she was only a freshman in high school.

Ryan has been in the spotlight since she was 13 years old, but going from a typical high school student in Texas to moving to Los Angeles to act was a big change that, in many ways, reflects the experiences of her character, Jessie Prescott, in “Jessie.”

While discussing the show, Ryan mentioned her recent trip to New York City, where she met up with former castmates Karan Brar, who played Ravi Ross, Peyton List, who played Emma Ross and Kevin Chamberlin, who played Bertram Winkle. They reminisced about their time on the show and even met Ryan’s daughter.

“It’s actually been a while since so many of us were in the same room,” Ryan said. “The last time, it was under really, really tragic circumstances. This time was kind of a really beautiful and receptive thing. We’re all such moving parts to actually be in the same room was really special.”

Transitioning into the comedy-focused portion of the event, moderators projected photos from Ryan and Dun’s house, including a bust of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, strawberry-shaped chairs from HomeGoods, a boxing ring in their basement and a taxidermized squirrel named Remington. Ryan explained the backstories for each odd piece of house decor and furniture.

“She recently did a celebrity tour of her home and a lot of weird items caught my eye,” Lambros said. “Being able to hear personal stories from her not only grounded Debby Ryan as a person but were funny and just made the event into a good time.”

After, the moderators ran a “This or That” round, where Ryan had to choose between options like “Jessie” or “The Suite Life on Deck” and Mrs. Kipling or Jim, her and Dun’s dog. Audience members yelled out their own answers and often influenced her choices, especially when the options were Binghamton-related.

The Q&A section allowed for the most audience engagement and personal insight from Ryan. While some questions were more lighthearted, such as one where she admitted to taking Zuri Ross’s swing from “Jessie,” others allowed her to share her own knowledge gained from life and being in the spotlight from a young age. Angelica Carrera, a junior majoring in nursing, said that having Ryan answer her question was the most impactful part of the night.

“The last part of her answer to my question, in which she emphasized the importance of talking to someone whenever you’re struggling or have an insecurity, impacted me the most,” Carrera wrote in an email. “It doesn’t have to be ‘in an intense way,’ and it doesn’t have to be exactly when everything’s going wrong. She said that checking in with someone else allows you to check in on yourself, and that carried a weight that reminded me of the supportive loved ones I am fortunate to have in my life.”

Being authentic and honest in life was a theme throughout her talk. While Ryan has been, by many people, characterized by her viral moments, she expressed that being yourself is more important than trying to fit a specific standard, citing her attempt to fit into the Disney Channel mold.

When asked whether she was worried about her public perception while playing Jessie Prescott by Rowan Barrows, a junior majoring in Japanese studies, she elaborated on the experience of changing her personality to fit the company brand.

“You do that in hopes that you’ll fit in and then just millions of people make fun of you anyway for doing that,” Ryan said. “So I would say I was both too worried and not worried enough about perception. And I think if people are — just millions of people — are going to make fun of you for decades, then you might as well be being made fun of for being who you are.”

As the night came to a close, Ryan left students with a word of advice on authenticity and the common fear of being perceived by others.

“Does it affect how I get up, feed my child, get my groceries, have fun and laugh with my friends? It doesn’t — only if I let it,” Ryan said. “I would say you are more the architect of your own reality and you can choose to shape that and in doing so, it actually makes the broader world a lot more manageable and beautiful.”

Editor’s Note: Katelyn Pothakul, SAPB’s insights chair, is an assistant arts and culture editor for Pipe Dream. She had no part in the writing or editing in this article.