I always knew my life would involve the arts. Whether that be acting, singing, or dancing, God gave me the gift of performing, and I feel I must pursue performance as a career. My personal goals as a Black trans woman are to inspire other Black trans women to pursue theatre and create a space for other Black trans performers to have their stories heard. Receiving the Bunker Performing Arts Scholarship would fulfill my financial need to go to school to hone my craft and make my goal a reality. Growing up as a Black trans woman, theatre was an escape from racism and transphobia, even if it was for a second. I started in the church, like most other Black performers, singing in the choir, performing Easter and Christmas plays, and playing baby Jesus or Simon of Cyrene. I fell in love with the way it felt to perform. Then, the freshman year of high school came. I auditioned for my first ever play, Alice in Wonderland, and landed the role of the White Rabbit. I auditioned for my first musical, The Wizard of Oz, and became a principal dancer. I auditioned for every single production that my school had. A role that stood out to me, though, was when I played Gretta Good in my high school's production of the play Still Life With Iris. That was the first time that I felt like this was what I was meant to do with my life. Looking at the audience's faces light up with fear, laughter, and anger - that feeling is unparalleled, it's a high that you never want to come down from. Theatre is magical, and I know that this is what I am meant to do. Discovering the world of professional theatre through high school is an experience that I would, most definitely, go through again if I could. Through theatre, I could escape discrimination and prejudice, and be whoever I wanted to be, bringing my Blackness and my trans-ness with me. The depth I bring by being a Black trans actress is incomparable, and roles that I would love to add that depth to would be that of Audrey from Little Shop Of Horrors and Sally Bowles from Cabaret. I could breathe new life into these classic roles just as theatre breathed new life into me. I fell in love with theatre, not just because I could use it as an escape from discrimination, but because of the stories that I could tell and the young Black girls, trans or not, that I could inspire. It was an armor from transphobia, a shield from racism, and a beacon of hope for those who look like me. So, to me, receiving the Bunker Performing Arts Scholarship would fulfill my duty to share my story through performance, to be a voice for other Black women, trans or not, and to fulfill my financial need to go to school and pursue my passion. I use my experiences as a Black trans woman to embody the characters that I play and I want to be able to show the world that Black trans people have stories to tell, like the countless trans women in theatre that have inspired me: Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Angelica Ross, Peppermint, and Giselle Byrd. I want to show the world that Black trans women can turn our experiences into art because we are more than just a political statement, more than just Black, more than just trans: We are people.