I come from a town where there are flags that line the downtown area with the words, “Football Capital of North Carolina,” on them and the Friday night football games at the high school is a city wide event. My entire life I have been an anomaly. I am a black, stocky boy who hates sports and loves the arts. That was just life for me, the majority of traditionally masculine things never interested me, but I was never truly aware of it until high school. Freshman year of high school is when I discovered theatre and subsequently my passion in life. I was, and still am, nonstop in immersing myself in plays, musicals, new and old theatre makers, etc. The feeling of finding the thing that you want to do with your life is amazing, but it came with its challenge. Imposter syndrome is the feeling of not being worthy of the success you have accomplished and that feeling really hit me after sophomore year. Whenever I would audition for a show and get a lead part, I would come up with every excuse as to why I got it besides my talent as an actor. My school was doing Shrek and I had gotten Shrek, which if you really analyze, is a deep character who is full of the complexities all human beings have. So, I got the part, but I felt like I only got it because I could sing. I felt like my singing voice had become a crutch and obstacle for me on my journey of trying to become a better actor. I felt like I only got it because I was a junior, because I was fat enough, because my director and I have a great relationship. I never put the factor of acting ability into that list. During that time I also auditioned for the Governor’s School of North Carolina, a summer program for “gifted and talented 11th graders in North Carolina,” for their theatre program. I was accepted, but my best friend, who is white female with a crazy amazing belt and embodiment of creativity, didn’t. I felt bad that I got in and she didn’t. I thought that they only needed one person from my county, or that they just needed a black boy to make sure they had diversity within the program. I never put my talent or ability as a factor in that situation either. I talked to my theatre teacher about it and he told me, “that even if any of those things were true, you still had to be qualified or they would not have accepted you. Being an actor, luck is involved, but so is hard work, dedication, and talent. You are so much more than the black kid Kris.”. I learned that I am valid and worthy of my achievements, not because of a box I check, but because I am me and I have a story and talent to share just like everyone else.

The idea of being an “Artist as Citizen” has caused me to further look at myself and my other goals in life besides just acting. Through my senior year service has been a constant push especially during this time of Corona and Racial Justice movement. I actually serve as president of my school's National Honor Society and Student Government Association which both have a huge emphasis on service in school and our community. As a black artist from a small town my biggest goal of service is to create opportunities for BIPOC students interested in the arts. I want to create a black box, multipurpose theatre space in my hometown that will allow kids to just come and create and put on plays, art galleries, showcases, cabarets, etc. and allow their creativity to show. We have theatre programs at the schools and a local theatre guild, but all are majority white and don’t push experimental work and I want to see that change; I don’t want the next generation of kids to feel like they have to run away to get the experience they need to further their artistic souls. Another initiative I have is to create an organization that takes plays written by youth in low-income areas(starting with my hometown) and take them across the country. The goal is to get them produced at other colleges, high schools, or regional theaters. This will not only allow them to see their work produced but also allow them to get behind the table and truly create their own work. These are not just dreams, but goals and in order for me to achieve these goals, I need training. I think the best actors are intelligent people and for me that comes from getting my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting; This scholarship will allow me to earn that degree. I want to have a career because I can’t imagine life without it, but also to show that little black, fat boys can become actors, especially those from small towns that just throw the arts away. I have no idea where I’ll end up going to school, but I do know that by getting my education as an acting major I’ll be able to take that knowledge and bring it to Broadway, Hollywood, but most importantly, my home town. I don’t necessarily want to teach, but I do want young people with big dreams to learn something from me. One thing I am doing to get that training is applying to scholarships to fund my education and therefore the education of the next generation. I’ll be the next in line to help push the excellence of black artists. Through acting, educating, and just being myself; That’s the ultimate goal: Getting closer and closer to my true self through my art and service to others.

Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Johnathan Majors, Courtney B. Vance, Zendaya. These are the names of actors that I one day hope to be in the ranks with. I always knew I was going to work in the arts, but it was not until my freshman year of high school that I realized acting is what I wanted to do. Now to preface, I come from a small, southern town where the streets are lined with flags that say, “Football Capital of North Carolina,” so the idea that me as a big, black boy did not do that was slightly weird. I never felt the pressure to follow in those footsteps, but my inner insecurities definitely made me feel like I did; I remember in middle school trying out wrestling and hating it. My journey to acting and being an advocate for black artists, while relatively new, is an interesting one. So high school starts and I audition for the fall play as a bet to my brother. He had been doing theatre the past three years and I would pick on him saying, “I’ll never be one of those theatre kids like you.” I was confident that I wouldn’t get cast, but I did and instantly was bit by the bug. The fact that I auditioned still amazes me to this day because I was not a very forward person. I was great at speaking when necessary, but acting in front of new people I never knew? It was a big and scary deal. It is a murder mystery and I played a butler and my wife was played by one of the upper class man who was REALLY good. Anyways, after that I kept auditioning even starting to do community theatre. I realized after taking a break from doing shows during the summer of sophomore year that I craved acting, but I was still apprehensive about thinking about this as a possible career path because while I loved the arts, I was more widely known as an academic. I’ve always been an artistic kid, but I was (and still am) academically strong. I’ve been in advanced classes since the third grade and I am now taking a full International Baccalaureate course load. I love to learn and part of me wanted to go into a classical academic job because I wasn’t secure in myself as an artist at first. In middle school I completely stopped making art and instead focused on robotics and news crew. I still enjoy those things, but looking back I channeled so much energy into those things to distract from having to face the choice of my art or my academics. However, something happened my junior year of high school. I began taking IB Theatre which looks at theatre from a theoretical and practical approach. This class changed everything! I realized being an artist and an academic coincided with each other. As I began to examine actors I loved I learned how educated all of them were in that they all actively seek to learn and even more share those learnings to open doors for others. The idea of being an “Artist as Citizen” has caused me to further look at myself and my other goals in life besides just acting. Through my senior year service has been a constant push especially during this time of Corona and Racial Justice movement. I actually serve as president of my school's National Honor Society and Student Government Association which both have a huge emphasis on service in school and our community. As a black artist from a small town my biggest goal of service is to create opportunities for BIPOC students interested in the arts. I want to create a black box, multipurpose theatre space in my hometown that will allow kids to just come and create and put on plays, art galleries, showcases, cabarets, etc. and allow their creativity to show. We have theatre programs at the schools and a local theatre guild, but all are majority white and don’t push experimental work and I want to see that change; I don’t want the next generation of kids to feel like they have to run away to get the experience they need to further their artistic souls. Another initiative I have is to create an organization that takes plays written by youth in low-income areas(starting with my hometown) and take them across the country. The goal is to get them produced at other colleges, high schools, or regional theaters. This will not only allow them to see their work produced but also allow them to get behind the table and truly create their own work. These are not just dreams, but goals and in order for me to achieve these goals, I need training. As stated earlier, the best actors are intelligent people and for me that comes from getting my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. I want to have a career because I can’t imagine life without it, but also to show that little black, fat boys can become actors, especially those from small towns that just throw the arts away. I have no idea where I’ll end up going to school, but I do know that by getting my education as an acting major I’ll be able to take that knowledge and bring it to Broadway, Hollywood, but most importantly, my home town. I don’t necessarily want to teach, but I do want young people with big dreams to learn something from me. One thing I am doing to get that training is applying to scholarships to fund my education and therefore the education of the next generation. Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Johnathan Majors, Courtney B. Vance, Zendaya and soon Kristofer Wilson. I’ll be the next in line to help push the excellence of black artists. Through acting, educating, and just being myself; That’s the ultimate goal: Getting closer and closer to my true self through my art and service to others.

Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Johnathan Majors, Courtney B. Vance, Zendaya. These are the names of actors that I one day hope to be in the ranks with. I always knew I was going to work in the arts, but it was not until my freshman year of high school that I realized acting is what I wanted to do. Now to preface, I come from a small, southern town where the streets are lined with flags that say, “Football Capital of North Carolina,” so the idea that me as a big, black boy did not do that was slightly weird. I never felt the pressure to follow in those footsteps, but my inner insecurities definitely made me feel like I did; I remember in middle school trying out wrestling and hating it. My journey to acting and being an advocate for black artists, while relatively new, is an interesting one. So high school starts and I audition for the fall play as a bet to my brother. He had been doing theatre the past three years and I would pick on him saying, “I’ll never be one of those theatre kids like you.” I was confident that I wouldn’t get cast, but I did and instantly was bit by the bug. The fact that I auditioned still amazes me to this day because I was not a very forward person. I was great at speaking when necessary, but acting in front of new people I never knew? It was a big and scary deal. It is a murder mystery and I played a butler and my wife was played by one of the upper class man who was REALLY good. Anyways, after that I kept auditioning even starting to do community theatre. I realized after taking a break from doing shows during the summer of sophomore year that I craved acting, but I was still apprehensive about thinking about this as a possible career path because while I loved the arts, I was more widely known as an academic. I’ve always been an artistic kid, but I was (and still am) academically strong. I’ve been in advanced classes since the third grade and I am now taking a full International Baccalaureate course load. I love to learn and part of me wanted to go into a classical academic job because I wasn’t secure in myself as an artist at first. In middle school I completely stopped making art and instead focused on robotics and news crew. I still enjoy those things, but looking back I channeled so much energy into those things to distract from having to face the choice of my art or my academics. However, something happened my junior year of high school. I began taking IB Theatre which looks at theatre from a theoretical and practical approach. This class changed everything! I realized being an artist and an academic coincided with each other. As I began to examine actors I loved I learned how educated all of them were in that they all actively seek to learn and even more share those learnings to open doors for others. The idea of being an “Artist as Citizen” has caused me to further look at myself and my other goals in life besides just acting. Through my senior year service has been a constant push especially during this time of Corona and Racial Justice movement. I actually serve as president of my school's National Honor Society and Student Government Association which both have a huge emphasis on service in school and our community. As a black artist from a small town my biggest goal of service is to create opportunities for BIPOC students interested in the arts. I want to create a black box, multipurpose theatre space in my hometown that will allow kids to just come and create and put on plays, art galleries, showcases, cabarets, etc. and allow their creativity to show. We have theatre programs at the schools and a local theatre guild, but all are majority white and don’t push experimental work and I want to see that change; I don’t want the next generation of kids to feel like they have to run away to get the experience they need to further their artistic souls. Another initiative I have is to create an organization that takes plays written by youth in low-income areas(starting with my hometown) and take them across the country. The goal is to get them produced at other colleges, high schools, or regional theaters. This will not only allow them to see their work produced but also allow them to get behind the table and truly create their own work. These are not just dreams, but goals and in order for me to achieve these goals, I need training. As stated earlier, the best actors are intelligent people and for me that comes from getting my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. I want to have a career because I can’t imagine life without it, but also to show that little black, fat boys can become actors, especially those from small towns that just throw the arts away. I have no idea where I’ll end up going to school, but I do know that by getting my education as an acting major I’ll be able to take that knowledge and bring it to Broadway, Hollywood, but most importantly, my home town. I don’t necessarily want to teach, but I do want young people with big dreams to learn something from me. One thing I am doing to get that training is applying to scholarships to fund my education and therefore the education of the next generation. Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Johnathan Majors, Courtney B. Vance, Zendaya and soon Kristofer Wilson. I’ll be the next in line to help push the excellence of black artists. Through acting, educating and just being myself; That’s the ultimate goal: Getting closer and closer to my true self through my art and service to others.