This photo shows me performing as a principle character in my last high school show. Personally, Spiker in James and the Giant Peach was the first big role I had ever played. I felt like all of my hard work had culminated to this one moment. I was so glad to leave as club president with a performance I was so proud of. More importantly, this was the last show performed in my high school's auditorium. Two months later, the building would be torn down. The legacy I would leave felt like the boldest thing I have ever done.

I struggle to see myself as a part of the LGBTQ+ community. To the outward eye, people probably wouldn't guess that I am. I'm a cis woman in a relationship with a cis man, which I know gives me an endless amount of privilege. However, this one fact does not erase my personal identity. I am bisexual. I've known this since middle school but have always been too afraid to identify this way. I've even missed out on opportunities, scholarships like these, because I didn't feel worthy enough. But I am. I am a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. Being in a straight relationship currently doesn't mean my attraction to people of all genders is any less valid or deserving. This is a problem I know so many people face. Biphobia is still such a problem within the community. Either you're straight and looking for attention or you're gay and must just be experiencing compulsory heterosexuality. I want to spread the message that bi people are no less a part of the community. Yes, we have privilege at times, and we should recognize that. We as a group should be able to utilize that privilege to support our LGBT friends and family who experience more hatred than us. Overall, I hope to see an age of acceptance in the future. Even people within the community can be judgmental at times. Especially now, we need to support each other and stop assuming about other people, because after all, love is love.

I am going to be a junior this fall at Salve Regina University. While I love this school, it can be pretty pricey considering the area and its more affluent population. I, however, am not as affluent as many of my peers. My single father raised me, and he does all he can to support me, as he never went to college himself. I do not want this burden to fall solely on him. Currently, I have about $20,000 in personal loans, not including other federal loans on top of that. My goal for the next two years is to pay my way through without accruing any more debt. As I will be living on campus to save money, rent in Newport can still get costly. This scholarship would help immensely for me to focus on my education, rather than all of my financial worries. It could cover my voice lessons, a year's worth of textbooks, or almost a month of my rent. By being able to focus on my studies, I'll hopefully be able to graduate with honors, and find a way to afford grad school.

I'm proud to be LGBTQ+ because I am finally comfortable in who I am, no matter how others see me. Being bisexual, others often question if I'm really a part of the community. However, as a person in the performing arts, I've found some of my best friends, collaborators, and supporters within the community. instagram: ashleigh.tayl0r

Being a theatre major, you may think this pandemic would have halted my degree. However, I actually ended up learning a lot from this year. For example, the implementing of zoom allowed special guests in the industry from across the country to speak to our classes. Personally, I improved on my self tapes, and ultimately felt more comfortable in filmed auditions, than those in person. The most important thing I would have to say was learning to adapt to the situation. As many other theatre program, we had to learn how to continue putting on theatre in a safe way. We did this by filming our productions, and performing with masks. This taught us a lot about how different it is o not only act on film, but to act with only part of your face showing. By practicing social distancing, our group kept each other safe, and was even able to have an audience by the end of the year. While I would love to perform normally again, I feel like I have grown as a performer from having to find a way to work in such difficult times.