Anthony B. Davis Scholarship

Challenges that tear down the soul often lay the groundwork for profound personal growth and eventual success. I have spent the past four years working to reach goals no one around me ever saw coming true, not even myself. When I was a freshman, I thought that I was talentless. The most irrelevant person in every environment. The only thing I had going for me was my academics, but I needed more awareness about who I was and who I wanted to become. I didn't know how to express myself; I had recently come out of the closet and didn't know how the world would react, so I kept most of myself, to myself as if I were a ghost in a shell. My parents didn’t take the news well, and it took nearly 4 years to get to a good place past the challenges and fights over my identity. There have been many times in my life when I had fallen into a deep depressive state, but with the help of the friends around me, I have been able to survive and overcome those phases of grief. Furthermore, with the combination of inconsistency with my self-identity and family, I had a hard time fitting in and finding who I was. It wasn't until a friend invited me to audition for theatre that I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried something new. Was I scared of trying out? Of course! I was never good at going out for something that wasn't mine until then, but something sparked inside me. Something inside my spirit allowed confidence to shine through the fear, and before I knew it, I was performing for the first time, living out my wildest dreams and nightmares all at once, and it was exhilarating. After the performance, I continued pursuing theatre and building my confidence, which then ventured into my ability to be more outspoken than ever before. I could easily talk in front of big crowds, connect with strangers, and sympathize with them on a deeper level. However, I cannot give all the credit to the theatre. It took a lot of life lessons, friendships, heartbreaks, bad decisions, and God to get me to where I am today. I am a person who always thinks critically, strives to overachieve, helps others in need, and adapts to almost anything and anyone I am around. These qualities helped me keep my head held high even when the world tried to tear me down. I strive to set the standard in anything I do because I know, from my own experience, there will be someone watching me with envy and admiration, hoping to get to where I am as I did to others in the past. I looked up to those who were on stage until I finally did get on stage. I wanted to be at the top of my classes; I worked hard to achieve that goal and now want the same for others. I want to be the standard so that the people around me can aspire to be great in their own ways. I hope to attain your scholarship so that I may one day reach my goals of a higher education. Receiving this scholarship will be instrumental in helping me pursue higher education, which is essential for achieving my long-term goals in theatre and beyond. It will alleviate financial barriers and enable me to focus on my studies and artistic development. I hope to hear back from you, and hope that you get to see me on stage one day.