I believe that art is crucial to society. It has the power to change lives. I started the realize this when I started high school. When I joined my theatre company my freshman year, I was very insecure and shy. I constantly worried about what everyone thought of me. Being part of the LGBTQ+ community, I have always been discriminated against for the way that I am. I try to not let it affect me, but I can't pretend that words do not hurt me. Even in elementary school, I was made fun of for the way I walk, the way I sit, or even the way I talk. I was so insecure in myself, and I did not think I was worthy of people's time. Once I became more involved in theatre, I noticed that the social environment was so accepting and loving, and I was able to be myself without judgment from others. My theatre teacher, Jeffery Cook, was like a second father to me during my high school years. He has helped me see that performing is the one thing that makes me feel like myself. When I am on the stage, all of my worries in life fade away. Most importantly, he made me realize that art has the power to change lives. I performed in a show that has some very serious topics. It involved queer characters, addiction, assault, etc. I was incredibly nervous to perform the show, but once we performed it, the positive response was incredibly eye-opening. Many people came up to me after the show telling me how this positively changed their view on life. At this moment, I realized that I wanted to pursue art so that I could positively influence people’s lives. Now, I am a 4th year at The University of Central Florida studying Musical Theatre Performance. I have goals to continue performing in shows that educate audiences on important issues. I am currently performing as Roger in Rent at UCF. This show is particularly about artists in the early 90's during the AIDS epidemic. This is one of the most influential musicals of all time, and it specifically educates audiences on the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition, I recently performed in a professional production of Spring Awakening where I played a queer character. At the end of the show, we all came out wearing shirts that deal with specific political issues, and mine was LGBTQ+ rights. I am hoping to continue performing shows that deal with political issues, and continue to impact people’s lives for the better. *I have attached a link to my vocal reel. This is a compilation of my performances over the past few years. Thank you for your time and consideration!*

I don't know where I would be today without fine arts. Being part of the LGBTQ+ community, I have always been discriminated against for the way I am. I try to not let it affect me, but I can't pretend that words do not hurt me. Even in elementary school, I was made fun of for the way I walk, the way I sit, or even the way I talk. In fact, my best friend of 4 years unfriended me and started calling me profound names just because I was gay. I was so insecure in myself, and I did not think I was worthy of people's time. In the past few years, I have realized that I am worth way more than other people's judgment. I would not have had this change of perspective if it weren't for the arts. When I joined my theatre company my freshman year of high school, I was very insecure and shy. I constantly worried about what everyone thought of me. Once I became more involved in theatre, I noticed that the social environment was so accepting and loving, and I was able to be myself without judgment from others. Most importantly, I realized how art has the power to change lives. I performed in a show that has some very serious topics. It involved queer characters, addiction, assault, etc. I was incredibly nervous to perform the show, but once we performed it, the positive response was incredibly eye-opening. Many people came up to me after the show telling me how this positively changed their view on life. At this moment, I realized that I wanted to pursue art so that I could positively influence people’s lives. Specifically, educate audiences on LGBTQ+ issues. Now, I am a 4th year at The University of Central Florida studying Musical Theatre Performance. I have goals to continue performing in shows that educate audiences on important issues. I am currently performing as Roger in Rent at UCF. This show is particularly about artists in the early 90's during the AIDS epidemic. This is one of the most influential musicals of all time, and it specifically educates audiences on the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition, I recently performed in a professional production of Spring Awakening where I played a queer character. At the end of the show, we all came out wearing shirts that deal with specific political issues, and mine was LGBTQ+ rights. I am hoping to continue performing shows that deal with political issues, and continue to impact people’s lives for the better. *Below I have attached a link to my vocal reel. This is a compilation of video performances from the past few years. Thank you for your time and consideration!* https://youtu.be/1l9t39qcVQ8?si=s_iAQpkiRAeHU8zA

Hi! My name is Joseph Trewin, and I am a 4th year at The University of Central Florida studying Musical Theatre Performance. I have goals to continue performing in shows that educate audiences on important issues. I am currently performing as Roger in Rent at UCF. This show is particularly about artists in the early 90's during the AIDS epidemic. This is one of the most influential musicals of all time, and it specifically educates audiences on the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition, I recently performed in a professional production of Spring Awakening where I played a queer character. At the end of the show, we all came out wearing shirts that deal with specific political issues, and mine was LGBTQ+ rights. I am hoping to continue performing shows that deal with political issues, and continue to impact people’s lives for the better. I have attached a video of my "vocal reel". This is a compilation of different performances I have done in the past few years. Thank you for your time and consideration!

Being part of the LGBTQ+ community, I have always been discriminated against for the way I am. I try to not let it affect me, but I can't pretend that words do not hurt me. Even in elementary school, I was made fun of for the way I walk, the way I sit, or even the way I talk. In fact, my best friend of 4 years unfriended me and started calling me profound names just because I was gay. I was so insecure in myself, and I did not think I was worthy of people's time. In the past few years, I have realized that I am worth way more than other people's judgment. I have had the ability to express myself through art, and use art as a way to educate audiences on political issues. When I joined my theatre company my freshman year of high school, I was very insecure and shy. I constantly worried about what everyone thought of me. Once I became more involved in theatre, I noticed that the social environment was so accepting and loving, and I was able to be myself without judgment from others. Most importantly, I realized how art has the power to change lives. I performed in a show that has some very serious topics. It involved queer characters, addiction, assault, etc. I was incredibly nervous to perform the show, but once we performed it, the positive response was incredibly eye-opening. Many people came up to me after the show telling me how this positively changed their view on life. At this moment, I realized that I wanted to pursue art so that I could positively influence people’s lives. Specifically, educate audiences on LGBTQ+ issues. Now, I am a 4th year at The University of Central Florida studying Musical Theatre Performance. I have goals to continue performing in shows that educate audiences on important issues. I am currently performing as Roger in Rent at UCF. This show is particularly about artists in the early 90's during the AIDS epidemic. This is one of the most influential musicals of all time, and it specifically educates audiences on the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition, I recently performed in a professional production of Spring Awakening where I played a queer character. At the end of the show, we all came out wearing shirts that deal with specific political issues, and mine was LGBTQ+ rights. I am hoping to continue performing shows that deal with political issues, and continue to impact people’s lives for the better.

If it weren't for the arts, I don't know where I would be today. Being part of the LGBTQ+ community, I have always been discriminated against for the way I am. I try to not let it affect me, but I can't pretend that words do not hurt me. Even in elementary school, I was made fun of for the way I walk, the way I sit, or even the way I talk. In fact, my best friend of 4 years unfriended me and started calling me profound names just because I was gay. I was so insecure in myself, and I did not think I was worthy of people's time. In the past few years, I have realized that I am worth way more than other people's judgment. This change of perspective would have never happened if it weren't for the arts. When I joined my theatre company my freshman year of high school, I was very insecure and shy. I constantly worried about what everyone thought of me. Once I became more involved in theatre, I noticed that the social environment was so accepting and loving, and I was able to be myself without judgment from others. My theatre teacher, Jeffery Cook, was like a second father to me in my high school years. He helped me see that performing is the one thing that makes me feel like myself. When I am on the stage, all of my worries in life fade away. Most importantly, he made me realize that art has the power to change lives. I performed in a show that has some very serious topics. It involved queer characters, addiction, assault, etc. I was incredibly nervous to perform the show, but once we performed it, the positive response was incredibly eye-opening. Many people came up to me after the show telling me how this positively changed their view on life. At this moment, I realized that I wanted to pursue art so that I could positively influence people’s lives. Specifically, educate audiences on LGBTQ+ issues. Now, I am a 4th year at The University of Central Florida studying Musical Theatre Performance. I have goals to continue performing in shows that educate audiences on important issues. I recently performed in a professional production of Spring Awakening where I played a queer character. At the end of the show, we all came out wearing shirts that deal with specific political issues, and mine was LGBTQ+ rights. I am hoping to continue performing shows that deal with political issues, and continue to impact people’s lives for the better. I am incredibly fortunate to be pursuing a career doing what I love. The arts have forever changed my life, and I can't wait to continue on in my performing journey.

Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I have always been discriminated against for the way I am. I try to not let it affect me, but I can't pretend that words do not hurt me. Even in elementary school, I was made fun of for the way I walk, the way I sit, or even the way I talk. In fact, my best friend of 4 years unfriended me and started calling me profound names just because I was gay. I was so insecure in myself, and I did not think I was worthy of people's time. In the past few years, I have realized that I am worth way more than other people's judgment. I have had the ability to express myself through art, and use art as a way to educate audiences on political issues. When I joined my theatre company my freshman year of high school, I was very insecure and shy. I constantly worried about what everyone thought of me. Once I became more involved in theatre, I noticed that the social environment was so accepting and loving, and I was able to be myself without judgment from others. Most importantly, I realized how art has the power to change lives. I performed in a show that has some very serious topics. It involved queer characters, addiction, assault, etc. I was incredibly nervous to perform in this show, but once we performed it, the positive response was incredibly eye-opening. Many people came up to me after the show telling me how this positively changed their view on life. At this moment, I realized that I wanted to pursue art so that I could positively influence people’s lives. Specifically, educate audiences on LGBTQIA+ issues. Now, I am a 4th year at The University of Central Florida studying Musical Theatre Performance. I have goals to continue performing in shows that educate audiences on important issues. If I was awarded this scholarship, I would make sure to use this money to fuel my musical theatre dreams. I will carry on Coco's legacy by making sure that I perform in shows that educate audiences on LGBTQIA+ individuals. In fact, I am currently performing as Roger in Rent at UCF. This show is particularly about artists in the early 90's during the AIDS epidemic. This is one of the most influential musicals of all time, and it specifically educates audiences on the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition, I recently performed in a professional production of Spring Awakening where I played a queer character. At the end of the show, we all come out wearing shirts that deal with specific political issues, and mine was LGBTQ+ rights. I am hoping to continue performing shows that deal with political issues, and continue to impact people’s lives for the better.

Being part of the LGBTQ+ community, I have always been discriminated against for the way I am. I try to not let it affect me, but I can't pretend that words do not hurt me. Even in elementary school, I was made fun of for the way I walk, the way I sit, or even the way I talk. In fact, my best friend of 4 years unfriended me and started calling me profound names just because I was gay. I was so insecure in myself, and I did not think I was worthy of people's time. In the past few years, I have realized that I am worth way more than other people's judgment. I have had the ability to express myself through art, and use art as a way to educate audiences on political issues. When I joined my theatre company my freshman year of high school, I was very insecure and shy. I constantly worried about what everyone thought of me. Once I became more involved in theatre, I noticed that the social environment was so accepting and loving, and I was able to be myself without judgment from others. Most importantly, I realized how art has the power to change lives. I performed in a show that has some very serious topics. It involved queer characters, addiction, assault, etc. I was incredibly nervous to perform in this show, but once we performed it, the positive response was incredibly eye-opening. Many people came up to me after the show telling me how this positively changed their view on life. At this moment, I realized that I wanted to pursue art so that I could positively influence people’s lives. Specifically, educate audiences on LGBTQ+ issues. Now, I am a 4th year at The University of Central Florida studying Musical Theatre Performance. I have goals to continue performing in shows that educate audiences on important issues. I recently performed in a professional production of Spring Awakening where I played a queer character. At the end of the show, we all come out wearing shirts that deal with specific political issues, and mine was LGBTQ+ rights. I am hoping to continue performing shows that deal with political issues, and continue to impact people’s lives for the better. Even with advances in AI generated scripts, music, and even performances, nothing can take away the transformable power of a live theatre performance.