My Mom is my rock. She is a third generation Hispanic and grew up in a Mexican neighborhood. She was the youngest of seven and did not grow up with money. When she was in high school her father passed away. She worked really hard and put herself through school and majored in Business. She currently works as a project manager at a railroad. My mother loved the arts and was not able to grow up taking voice lessons or dance class lessons. My mom shaped me into the person I am today because she didn't have a lot or the best training in the arts so she made sure I had training in dance, singing and acting. She put me in dance at the age of three and I never stopped. She saw that I was gifted by having a stage presence and always worked hard to find me a voice teacher or help me improve with dance to get recognized. The arts are an extremely competitive and extremely competitive field. My mom works really hard to make sure I have the things I need and helps me prepare for auditions. I do not know what I would do without my mom. She is may favorite person on this planet. It's the little things my mom does that mean the world to me. For example I was doing my first show in college and she came to my dorm and did my laundry and cleaned up for me. It is this type of support my mom gives me that make me successful. My mom has not only supported me but she has help me build my confidence, learn to speak up for myself and shape me into the proud Latina I am today. I just would not be the artist I am today. My mom is allowing me to follow my dreams in college and major in Musical Theater. These funds would help build my future because it would give my mom a break from helping support me. The arts are very expensive and add college tuition on top of that and it's almost unmanageable. My mom does not want me to get school loans because she had no choice but to get school loans and she tells me how difficult it was to pay them off. This scholarship would mean that me and my mom could have some other support besides just her.

I am a recent 2024 high school graduate and I am currently a freshman and studying Theatre Arts at Texas Tech University, specifically a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater. I have been dancing since I was three years old and my life has been performing on stage in dance and theatre. Ever since I was three i was the only Hispanic girl in the sea of blondes. When I started theater it was the same thing. I am usually the only Hispanic female and I have to work extra hard to get noticed. If there is an audition I will usually work really hard for a few months just to prepare. The theater industry is usually male dominated and not many Hispanics. It's extremely competitive. During my time in high school and growing up I used my performance abilities to volunteer with various charities like Hope Kids and The Gladney Adoption Center. The company I work for is called Royally Fun and they hire out princesses for various events. I play all the ethnic princesses like Moana, Jasmine, Mirabel and sometimes Mulan because she is short on Asian girls but because i have dark features it works. Sometimes there are volunteer opportunities for various charities. So when the opportunity arose to volunteer and help at a charity ball with Hope Kids, I was thrilled to use my abilities to make children with disabilities happy. For the Gladney Center for adoption I helped there by dress as a super hero for adoption day when children were united with their new families. These are small things I have done to make children happy using my abilities. I am studying theatre arts and will be happy to be working in the Industry on stages in theatres or cruise ships but I would love to continue to give back to the community. I would continue to volunteer in the community for events with children or go to Hispanic areas where kids do not have the funds to learn to dance technically and teach master classes or volunteer at events that have children. Aside from volunteering I want to represent my community or city of Hispanics by being cast in productions to show that I can do it and shine bright and so can any other Hispanics. I also have an idea to start a foundation to for summer intensives for young Hispanic children to teach them ballet and basic dance steps. This would be free of charge and I would like to work with a local recreational center and may host there. This scholarship would be helpful for my future to help fund my education to continue my journey.

I am a fan of Wicked because at 10 years old my mom took me to NYC to see my first Broadway Musical. That musical was Wicked. I was in awe of Elphaba and Glenda. It made me laugh and moved me with emotions. I loved the story of their relations ship so much and how much Elphaba was misunderstood. I was an instant fan of Broadway musicals but Wicked has always remained my favorite. I was changed for good. After I saw Wicked I knew I wanted more theater and not just see the show but I wanted to be in the shows. I studied really hard and landed some really great roles in school. Today, Wicked changed me so much that I knew I wanted to major in Musical Theater in college. My life is Musical Theatre and I am currently majoring in musical theater at Texas Tech University. I am often asked what my dream role is and I always respond, "Elphaba from Wicked!" I love the dark and mysterious character she portrays but then you see the real her to the people that really know her. I am a true Wicked fan and it's a very special bond my mom and I share. It truly is our favorite show.

The area of performing arts I am going into and currently studying is Musical Theatre. I am attending Texas Tech University as a Bachelor of Fine Arts major this fall. I went through the highly competitive audition process and got accepted into great programs like Rider and Pointe Park but in the end I wanted to save money so that I can move to New York when I graduate. I do love Texas Tech it's truly a hidden gem for Musical Theatre. I am one of ten students accepted into the program. I consider myself super blessed and fortunate to have this spot. We already auditioned for this year's musical which is Bright Star and I am the only freshman girl with a principal role. I was cast as Lucy. I have been dancing since the young age of three and was born to perform. I started singing lessons at age ten and from then on I was truly in love with music, dancing and acting. At age ten I started attending a fine arts school and each year the school musical was the highlight of my year. During school I was able to take theatre classes, dance classes and in middle school musical theatre. I have been able to have several teachers that are amazing, teach me different aspects of theatre and music. For the last nine years I knew studying musical theatre was going to be my career path. My future plans for my career in musical theatre include performing, where the opportunities take me. I know that this internal passion is not one that will be easy but I will audition as soon as I am able to and would love to work on stages in other cities. I will not limit myself to where I will work because with a musical theatre degree it will allow me to see the world. I am open to working on a cruise ship as well. When I have more experience I hope to move to New York and my dream is to work on Broadway. I do already have a New York agent so I hope that would help me have some opportunities to audition. Later in life I have a vision of myself owning my own studio to teach dance and musical theatre to younger kids who also have this passion. I feel it will be way of giving back the way my teachers did and help support their dreams of musical theater. I hope I can show the world that a girl that is a person of color can make it in this business and be a good role model to them.

My passion to perform in singing, acting, and dancing influences me in the arts. I started dancing at three years old and my passion for the arts grew from there. I grew up in the arts and went to a performing arts school since age 5. I have been singing and dancing and playing the guitar for most of my life. I kept training and today I am a performer that lives, eats and breathes music. I am now a freshman in college and majoring in musical theater at Texas Tech University. I love that I can follow my dreams in the arts and I love that I will be able to perform in front of people that appreciate the arts. My major speaks to who I am as a person and what i will continue to represent in the world of music. One of my greatest achievements in the arts was working so hard all summer to audition for the lead role of Ado Annie in our high school musical, Oklahoma. I was thrilled to cast and in addition, I was nominated by Broadway Dallas High School Musical theater. The judges go to all the schools all over the metroplex to adjudicate thousands of kids. It was an honor just to have been nominated. I felt I broke a barrier for Hispanics everywhere when I won this award and gave a speech in front of all thousands of peers and my community. I couldn't have done this without my passion for music. I taught myself to play guitar and love the feeling of belting out my songs and love how music can change the mood. I think art and music are important to society because they fill a void that our society is lacking. For just a few moments our minds are uplifted and we can escape into music or visual art. It awakens our feelings of passion and shows our most vulnerable selves in music and art. I love music and there is not a day that goes by when I do not sing my heart out. I can’t imagine a world without music or the arts. They can fill our lives with so much inspiration and change our environment. I am one of the many kids that are pursuing their passion in college. I know it’s risky to major in musical theater, but I am following my dreams.

I have developed my skills and have made it my passion to give back to help others. This is a strong passion of mine to help others or volunteer my time to benefit others. The feeling of community inspires me to give back. I have had several community services projects throughout my high school years. One of the most meaningful projects was to help paint a huge Vanessa Guillen mural in a less fortunate Hispanic neighborhood. This was something that I felt strongly about being a Hispanic female myself. The death of this brave woman serving our country made me sad that something like this could happen. I know I could not change what happened to her, but I could go out into my community and help a local artist by bringing awareness to our Hispanic community that we will not be silent and use art as our voice. This made me feel like we made an impact to bring awareness to this tragedy. The media was present, and I was interviewed by the local news on what having this mural means to people. The mural sits as a reminder every time anyone drives in that area of bringing the community together in a terrible sad time. Another meaningful service that I helped with was with younger theater kids at our local church. Gateway church has a very large performing arts program. They do not charge kids to attend in the summer, but they cannot exist without volunteers. The experience is great for children who may not have the means to take theatre classes or participate in a summer camp. I helped behind the scenes getting things set up like programs and helping the kids line up and be ready for their show. When I see the younger kids perform and the joy it brings to them, I know my service is worth it. Another and most enjoyable service was when I volunteered as a party princess for Hope Kids. Hope Kids is an organization that helps kids with life-threatening illnesses. I work as a party princess for work, but we have opportunities to volunteer. I have volunteered several times over the years I have been able to do story time, meet and greets, and fairy tale ball. I love the joy and smiles it brings to these children. It really makes me feel I am making a difference in their lives,

My experience with mental health has shaped me into the person I am today. When I was in middle school I was really struggling with not liking myself. I thought of myself as ugly and fat. I started to cut myself and had a lot of self hate. My mom was amazing and recognized how I was struggling and found me a good therapist. I worked with a therapist during this difficult time to see myself as everyone else saw me, a talented person who has so much to offer. It was as if my eyes were opened and I saw myself in a different light. I learned that everyone is different and I started to love my body and my looks. I learned to separate my anxiety and negative thoughts and to turn those thoughts off. If there was something within my power I could change I would. I stopped self harming myself because I truly learned to love myself. Today, as I start college, I am much more confident. I look past all the anxiety and insecurities because I know most everyone has them, you just have to work through it. I focus on setting goals for myself and building relationships now instead of worrying about things that can be toxic. Everyday when I wake up I am happy and eager to start my day. I have a much better outlook on life and want to take full advantage of my experience in college. Mental health can cripple you and make you think the worst of yourself but it can be overcome and you can lead a meaningful great life.

First off I am grateful for our military and as a military dependent I am honored to have the opportunity for this scholarship. The way I display these traits daily is probably a little different than expected. For Strong leadership and communication skills I wake up daily and start to move forward. For example I'm taking a summer online class so I work on that daily. I also communicate my day to day with my parents. So we can see what our priorities are for us all to move forward. For resilient I use the example of my online class again. I am majoring in Musical theater so for me academics don't come easy which is why i work twice as hard as anyone else. This summer before college even starts I am taking two summer classes so I can move forward faster. This to me is Resilient! I am unselfish because with my major most kids choose a school that is a private literal arts school but I didn't want to burden my parents with this so I choose and instate school that may not be the most popular but I felt it was the right thing to do for my family. Everyday I focus, in addition to working on academics I do my daily routine of singing. My voice is an instruments to I have to use it and rehearse daily. I do this everyday to stay focused and determined. If my instrument isn't fine tuned I will not be my best for when it comes time to actually perform. I need to stay ready. I have the strongest work ethic, this habit of taking classes early started with me in seventh grade so I could have more electives and spend time on what I truly love, that's dancing, acting and singing. I continue to work hard and I have also had teachers tell me that I will be so successful not only because I am talented but because i have a strong work ethic. Strong work ethic is the most important aspect of a leader. My future goals for my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree are to graduate then work every summer in this field and ultimately make it to professional theater to be able to do this for a living. I know it's risky but with the traits mentioned above I feel I can make this happen. I am confident if I continue to work hard at what I love I will be successful. I have always seen myself as a leader. Leadership means everything to me and I have been able to be a role model for other young girls going into this field. I had many underclassman reach out to me to ask me on how I have been successful. I think it's so important to help others and by helping others we all win.

I am pursuing a musical theater degree because I have been dancing since I was three years old. My mom said during my first recital at three years old, most kids were crying and scared, but I was dancing and smiling on stage. During one of my dances, my tap shoe came untied and fell off. Instead of crying or stopping, I kept dancing. My mom said it was at that moment she knew I was a born performer. I loved dancing so much but I knew there was something missing. I wanted to do more. I remember doing the Nutcracker when I was ten and wanting to play a boy in the party scene because that role had more acting involved. I really loved combining my dance technique with making facial expressions. Very soon after I started to take singing lessons around ten years old. Performing made me feel alive. Performing has always been something I have been passionate about. That passion has been with me my entire life. I loved the sensation of walking onto a stage, with the adrenaline streaming throughout my body and stage lights shining down on me. There really is no greater noise than applause. I continued to train and then found my home at a fine arts school. I was fortunate to be at this school since fifth grade. I was able to take formal theater classes, dance classes and work on vocals as part of my day to day school schedule. I loved the feeling of being around kids that had the same goals and passion as me for the arts. I know without a doubt, I want to major in musical theater. My goals with this intended major are to continue to train and grow in dancing, singing, and acting. I am also hoping to make industry connections. I hope to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Musical Theater, so that I can work on stages all around the world and then I can teach later in life. Having a BFA would give me the credentials to plan for my future. I feel strongly that my work ethic, my passion, and dedication will lead to my success in this major. I am attending Texas Tech University to pursue my BFA in Musical Theater. Since I have gone to a fine arts school throughout high school that had no football or sports teams, I really want to have a real college experience while also training, and challenging myself in all aspects of music theater. It is also important that I am close to home with in state tuition so I chose to not attend a fancy, expensive liberal arts school. I know that this will be a great environment for me to continue to train and grow and help me reach my goals of being a professional actress in musical theater.

I consider myself to be a creative person. I started dancing since I was three years old. So dancing has been my constant my entire life. I then started to sing and act and loved it. For my creativity, I choose to share a video of me performing a song I love that shows my creativity and a contrast to a funny monologue. https://youtu.be/iRlrFTW0so8

An arts education has impacted my life dramatically. In fact, it’s made me who I am today. I started dancing when I was three years old and did not start taking it seriously until I was eight, that is when I auditioned for the dance company at my dance studio. This is a company where they got to go to competitions all season long. There was something so glamorous about competition dancing that drew me in. Maybe It was the sparkly costumes and makeup, or it was we got to go out of town for nationals. But what really sold me was the fact that I could learn and perform almost any genre of dance. I was already taking a basic ballet and tap class, but when I joined competition dance, I learned hip-hop, jazz, lyrical and contemporary. I earned my first pair of pointe shoes when I was ten. I never felt more grateful in my life, every time I walked into the studio after school I looked forward to dancing. In fifth grade my mom found my home. I moved to a performing arts school. I was able to dance and take theatre every day. I was at Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts from fifth to twelfth grade. I was on a dance company, a musical theater company as well as an advanced acting class. I was in International Thespians and was able to take full advantage of an education in the arts. When I got to high school it was then I knew I was destined to be a performer and wanted to be serious. I started taking outside voice lessons and doing every musical my school offered. I loved using my dance skills combined with singing and dancing and couldn’t believe how complete I felt. Our high school was a safe place for me to be who I am. I was so inspired and motivated by teachers like Mrs. Lindy Heath who recognized my talents as early as seventh grade and made me a lead in the middle school musical. I played Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. That talented little girl grew up and in high school I won a Dallas Broadway Award for my role as Ado Annie in Oklahoma! My senior year I had three nominations Dallas Broadway HSMT, Betty Buckley and a Lyric Stage one for my role as Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act. I would say my teacher Mrs. Lindy Heath inspired me to be who I am today. She took this little girl that danced well and sang ok and pushed me to sing great and showed me the world of theater. Another person who inspired me was my mom. My mom gave me the tools and support to be a better performer. She would help me set goals like more singing lessons to find a teacher that worked well for me. She is always in my corner through the ups and downs and helps me be the person I am today. I am now pursuing a degree in Musical Theater at Texas Tech University. I can’t believe I can go to school to do what I’m passionate about and what I love.

A unique challenge that I experienced throughout my life was how I tried to connect myself with my ethnicity. I am half Mexican - American and half Indian, I have struggled to make my culture tie into my life, while also wanting to blend in with everyone else. My school is predominantly white, and because of this, there have been times when I have felt like an outsider looking in. I have been dancing since I was three and started competition dancing when I was eight. I have been a part of a dance company at school from sixth grade through my senior year. Most dancers will tell you that competition dance is a sense of community to them, but it was a different story for me. I was a little different from the other small, blonde, thin girls with pin-straight hair. As soon as sixth grade came, everything about me changed. I was the first girl to get her period and acne breakouts, along with a major growth spurt. When I looked in the mirror during rehearsals all I could see was how I looked so much “more mature” compared to my friends. Because of this image, I started to go on a strict pescatarian diet, thinking if I just lose some weight I will start to look “normal.” Besides puberty, there were still other parts of me that I wished were different. I could never borrow someone else’s concealer or extra pair of tan tights because their shade range was not even close to mine. I started to feel so alienated every time, I went to dance class I started to not only hate myself, but I started to lose interest in dance. I quit competition dance and started to dive more into my deep passion for musical theater. I entered the theater world, it was like everything I thought of was backwards. I did not feel true enough to my ethnicity. I felt ashamed to call myself Hispanic or South Asian because most people did not understand what that meant, and I did not believe that I was connected enough to my culture to even call myself that. All because I did not know Spanish or look South Asian enough. I felt too “whitewashed” and light-skinned to call myself biracial. In my sophomore year, I stopped straightening my hair and instead wore it in a big poofy mess that would get in the way of everything that I was doing. Whether it was getting in the way of my eyesight doing schoolwork or falling out of my ponytail and trying to hold it together with a million bobby pins. My droopy curls and baby hairs were always in the way. Despite the impracticality, I still wanted to prove to everyone, including myself, that I was ethnic enough. The best thing I’ve learned to do is use their hatred as motivation. I do not see this kind of microaggression ending, but I do see myself learning to be proud of who I am. This pride helped shape me into who I am today. I started to find my passion for dance again along with my dedication to musical theater. I started to love what I looked like. I continue to work hard and train to improve. This motivation helps me move forward. The challenges that I have faced have made me a stronger person now, and I am proud of who I am and where I have come from. I love looking different and proudly take the stage in the skin that I was born in.

My experience as a child of a military veteran has been extremely positive. My dad was in the Navy when he was younger. During the time in the Navy my dad had very positive experiences as well. He was on an aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt to be exact and he was able to learn all about the mechanics of planes because the planes would land and take off of on the aircraft carrier. He also got to travel and go places like Rome and Greece. He said it was the most amazing time in his life and he never dreamed it would take him so far in life. When he got out of the military he finished what he needed to do to earn his Airline Mechanic license, it was a few classes and some exams. The military has set up my family for success by giving my dad a career to not only pay our bills everyday but to travel the world. He now works for American Airlines as an airline mechanic and we have travel benefits so we have been able to travel and see so many countries. He has worked at American Airlines for over 25 years. I have been fortunate to grow up traveling because of his benefits and I have been able to experience other countries and cultures. The benefits given to my father continue in almost all the things we do, for example I know my parents said we get lower interest rates for homes, discounts sometimes when we buy clothing. I once went to Sun and Ski Sports and was amazed they gave me 10% off my shoes. We also have one college degree covered. My older brother gets to use my fathers Hazelwood Act to cover his tuition. However, because my brother is still using the benefit, my tuition has to come out of pocket. So I need financial assistance very badly. I have worked really hard during high school by volunteering and maintaining a 3.98 gpa because I was hopeful to earn scholarships. I am hopeful that the military will once again help my family out financially with this scholarship. The military has also taught my family and I to be proud to be Americans and not take our freedom for granted. All the branches of service are to be respected and honored. We are proud American's and love the Navy and all other branches of service. My goals after graduation are to work in the performing arts industry. I am majoring in musical theater and although this will be a tough industry to work in, it is truly my passion. I am thankful for a free country that allows me to follow my dreams.

My experience as a child of a military veteran has been extremely positive. My dad was in the Navy when he was younger. During the time in the Navy my dad had very positive experiences as well. He was on an aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt to be exact and he was able to learn all about the mechanics of planes because the planes would land and take off of on the aircraft carrier. He also got to travel and go places like Rome and Greece. He said it was the most amazing time in his life and he never dreamed it would take him so far in life. When he got out of the military he finished what he needed to do to earn his Airline Mechanic license, it was a few classes and some exams. The military has set up my family for success by giving my dad a career to not only pay our bills everyday but to travel the world. He now works for American Airlines as an airline mechanic and we have travel benefits so we have been able to travel and see so many countries. He has worked at American Airlines for over 25 years. I have been fortunate to grow up traveling because of his benefits and I have been able to experience other countries and cultures. The benefits given to my father continue in almost all the things we do, for example I know my parents said we get lower interest rates for homes, discounts sometimes when we buy clothing. I once went to Sun and Ski Sports and was amazed they gave me 10% off my shoes. We also have one college degree covered. My older brother gets to use my fathers Hazelwood Act to cover his tuition. However, because my brother is still using the benefit, my tuition has to come out of pocket. So I need financial assistance very badly. I have worked really hard during high school by volunteering and maintaining a 3.98 gpa because I was hopeful to earn scholarships. I am hopeful that the military will once again help my family out financially with this scholarship. The military has also taught my family and I to be proud to be Americans and not take our freedom for granted. All the branches of service are to be respected and honored. We are proud American's and love the Navy and all other branches of service.

My experience as a child of a military veteran has been extremely positive. My dad was in the Navy when he was younger. During the time in the Navy my dad had very positive experiences as well. He was on an aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt to be exact and he was able to learn all about the mechanics of planes because the planes would land and take off of on the aircraft carrier. He also got to travel and go places like Rome and Greece. He said it was the most amazing time in his life and he never dreamed it would take him so far in life. When he got out of the military he finished what he needed to do to earn his Airline Mechanic license, it was a few classes and some exams. The military has set up my family for success by giving my dad a career to not only pay our bills everyday but to travel the world. He now works for American Airlines as an airline mechanic and we have travel benefits so we have been able to travel and see so many countries. He has worked at American Airlines for over 25 years. I have been fortunate to grow up traveling because of his benefits and I have been able to experience other countries and cultures. The benefits given to my father continue in almost all the things we do, for example I know my parents said we get lower interest rates for homes, discounts sometimes when we buy clothing. I once went to Sun and Ski Sports and was amazed they gave me 10% off my shoes. We also have one college degree covered. My older brother gets to use my fathers Hazelwood Act to cover his tuition. However, because my brother is still using the benefit, my tuition has to come out of pocket. So I need financial assistance very badly. I have worked really hard during high school by volunteering and maintaining a 3.98 gpa because I was hopeful to earn scholarships. I am hopeful that the military will once again help my family out financially with this scholarship. The military has also taught my family and I to be proud to be Americans and not take our freedom for granted. All the branches of service are to be respected and honored. We are proud American's and love the Navy and all other branches of service.

My WHY is because dancing, singing and performing gives me life! There is nothing more exciting than stepping on a stage with stage lights in my eyes and seeing a crowd ready to see me. I have been dancing since I was three years old. My mom told me a story when I had my first performance at three most girls were crying because of stage fright but I was just smiling and so happy. During my performance my tap shoe flew off because it was not tied tight enough. Instead of crying I just kept dancing. It was at that moment that we both knew I was a born performer. I have been training since I was three at dance, I started then taking voice lessons at 10. I love being on stage and that's why I decided to pursue a degree in musical theater. This degree is not for the faint of heart. To get into a program is intense on it's own. I applied to so many schools and the competition is intense but I got in and going to continue this dream of mine. Technology has helped with my craft because it has allowed me to get myself out there with recording and editing software as well as social median. The advancements have made it easier for artist to get to know each other and build a network and a community. I will continue to add spirit to my craft by creating and singing. Me and my best friend create small videos of sitcoms all the time and i would love for us to continue this passion and possibly I would create our own musical. I have choregraphed and directed small numbers before so I think once I pursue my passion by earning my BFA at Texas Tech University I could work on creating my own musical number.

A unique challenge that I experienced throughout my life was how I tried to connect myself with my ethnicity. I am half Mexican - American and half Indian, I have struggled to make my culture tie into my life, while also wanting to blend in with everyone else. My school is predominantly white, and because of this, there have been times when I have felt like an outsider looking in. I have been dancing since I was three. Most dancers will tell you that competition dance is a sense of community to them, but it was a different story for me. I was a little different from the other small, blonde, thin girls. As soon as sixth grade came, everything about me changed. I was the first girl to get her period and acne breakouts, along with a major growth spurt. When I looked in the mirror during rehearsals all I could see was how I looked so much “more mature” compared to my friends. Because of this image, I started to go on a strict pescatarian diet, thinking if I just lose some weight I will start to look “normal.” Besides puberty, there were still other parts of me that I wished were different. I could never borrow someone else’s concealer or extra pair of tan tights because their shade range. I started to feel so alienated every time, I went to dance class. I started to lose interest in dance. I quit dance and started to dive more into my passion for musical theater. Once I entered the theater world, . I did not feel true enough to my ethnicity. I felt ashamed to call myself Hispanic or South Asian because most people did not understand what that meant, and I did not believe that I was connected enough to my culture. All because I did not know Spanish.. I felt too “whitewashed” and light-skinned to call myself biracial. In my sophomore year, I stopped straightening my hair and instead wore it in a big mess that would get in the way of everything. Whether it was getting in the way of my eyesight doing schoolwork or falling out of my ponytail and trying to hold it together with a million bobby pins. My droopy curls and baby hairs were always in the way. Despite the impracticality, I still wanted to prove to everyone, including myself, that I was ethnic enough. I continue to work hard and train to improve. This motivation helps me move forward. The challenges that I have faced have made me a stronger person now, and I am proud of who I am and where I have come from. I love looking different and proudly take the stage in the skin that I was born in. I think being a Hispanic ethnic female in the arts demonstrates leadership because other kids may feel this way and identify with me when they see me proudly on stage.

My professional aspirations are to be a working actress in professional theater. I plan to go to college and major in Musical Theater. Performing make me feel alive. Performing has always been something I have been passionate about. That passion has been with me my entire life. I love the stage lights, the audience and of course the applause. I have been training and dancing since I was three years old. I attended a performing arts school since I was in fifth grade. I was able to take formal theatre classes, dance classes and work on vocals as part of my day-to-day classes. I loved the feeling of being around kids that had the same goals and passion as me for the arts. My goals with this intended major are to continue to train and grow in dancing, singing, and acting. I am also hoping to make industry connections. I hope to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Musical Theater so that I can work on stages all around the world and then teach later in life. Having a BFA would give me the credentials to plan for my future. I feel strongly that my work ethic, my passion, and drive will lead to my success in this major. I hope my passion and drive will impact everyone I meet positively. Some of my accomplishments are I have maintained a grade point average of 3.96 while living my life on a stage and training. I am also very passionate about being a dancer and a musical theater student and because I wanted to do both programs, I started taking extra classes in the summer so I could free up my class schedule. I started taking extra classes in seventh grade. This allowed me to have an endorsement in dance and theater. Other major accomplishments are being awarded the Texas Theatre Scholar. I also won a Broadway Dallas outstanding performer award for my role as Ado Annie in our school musical Oklahoma when I was a junior. I am a proud member of Thespians, National Honor Society and National Honor Society Dance Arts. As I start this next chapter in my life I will bring my focus, drive, and energy with me. If I could do one thing in the community, it would be to continue to work with Hope Kids as I have in the past. I work as a party princess and some of the volunteer opportunities have led me to work with this organization and make sick children with life threatening illnesses continue to smile when they see their favorite princess. These children deserve so much love and I’m glad for one moment to bring that to them. Performance video: https://youtu.be/iRlrFTW0so8?si=nxNPKp0GZuyVS64i

The performing arts area I am going into is Musical Theater. I started dancing since i was three years old. I loved the feeling of performing in front of a crowd. My mom told me a story that when I had my first performance my tap shoe flew off and instead of crying i just kept dancing. It was at that moment we knew I was born to perform. i wanted to keep doing it forever! I then started taking voice lessons at age 10 and then put that all together on stage into musicals. I could not believe that I got to do all three things at one time and it made me feel so complete. Over the years throughout high school I was on both dance company and musical theater company and in theater classes. I would work ahead in the summers so i could have all these electives to study what I did. I managed to graduate high school with all three endorsements and a 3.98 gpa. I then started the audition process to applying to schools to earn a BFA in Performing Arts, musical theater. I am going to Texas Tech University as one of 10 students accepted into the program. My professional aspirations are to be a working actress in professional theater. Performing makes me feel alive. Performing has always been something I have been passionate about. That passion has been with me my entire life. I love the stage lights, the audience and of course the applause. I have been training and dancing since I was three years old. I attended a performing arts school since I was in fifth grade. I was able to take formal theatre classes, dance classes and work on vocals as part of my day-to-day classes. I loved the feeling of being around kids that had the same goals and passion as me for the arts. My goals with this intended major are to continue to train and grow in dancing, singing, and acting. I am also hoping to make industry connections. I hope to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Musical Theater so that I can work on stages all around the world and then teach later in life. Having a BFA would give me the credentials to plan for my future. I feel strongly that my work ethic, my passion, and drive will lead to my success in this major.

The area of theatre I am planning to study is musical theater earning a BFA. Something that excites me about studying musical theater at the University level is continuing to grow in something I am passionate about. I have been dancing since I was three years old. My mom said during my first recital at three years old, most kids were crying and scared, but I was dancing and smiling on stage. During one of my dances, my tap shoe came untied and fell off. Instead of crying or stopping, I kept dancing. My mom said it was at that moment she knew I was a born performer. I loved dancing so much, but I knew there was something missing. I wanted to do more. I remember doing the Nutcracker when I was ten and wanting to play a boy in the party scene because that role had more acting involved. I really loved combining my dance technique with making facial expressions. Very soon after I started to take singing lessons around ten years old. Performing made me feel alive. Performing has always been something I have been passionate about. That passion has been with me my entire life. I loved the sensation of walking onto a stage, with the adrenaline streaming throughout my body and stage lights shining down on me. There really is no greater noise than applause. I continued to train and then found my home at a fine arts school. I was fortunate to be at this school since fifth grade. I was able to take formal theater classes, dance classes and work on vocals as part of my day-to-day school schedule. I loved the feeling of being around kids that had the same goals and passion as me for the arts. Studying at the University level with likeminded artists excites me. The fact that I would continue to grow with a group that are just as passionate as me is something I look forward to. I know without a doubt, I want to major in musical theater. My goals with this intended major are to continue to train and grow in dancing, singing, and acting. I am also hoping to make industry connections. I hope to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Musical Theater, so that I can work on stages all around the world and then I can teach later in life. Having a BFA would give me the credentials to plan for my future. I feel strongly that my work ethic, my passion, and dedication will lead to my success in this major. This is extremely exciting that I can do this in some capacity for the rest of my life.

The area of theatre I am planning to study is musical theater earning a BFA. Something that excites me about studying musical theater at the University level is continuing to grow in something I am passionate about. I have been dancing since I was three years old. My mom said during my first recital at three years old, most kids were crying and scared, but I was dancing and smiling on stage. During one of my dances, my tap shoe came untied and fell off. Instead of crying or stopping, I kept dancing. My mom said it was at that moment she knew I was a born performer. I loved dancing so much, but I knew there was something missing. I wanted to do more. I remember doing the Nutcracker when I was ten and wanting to play a boy in the party scene because that role had more acting involved. I really loved combining my dance technique with making facial expressions. Very soon after I started to take singing lessons around ten years old. Performing made me feel alive. Performing has always been something I have been passionate about. That passion has been with me my entire life. I loved the sensation of walking onto a stage, with the adrenaline streaming throughout my body and stage lights shining down on me. There really is no greater noise than applause. I continued to train and then found my home at a fine arts school. I was fortunate to be at this school since fifth grade. I was able to take formal theater classes, dance classes and work on vocals as part of my day-to-day school schedule. I loved the feeling of being around kids that had the same goals and passion as me for the arts. Studying at the University level with likeminded artists excites me. The fact that I would continue to grow with a group that are just as passionate as me is something I look forward to. I know without a doubt, I want to major in musical theater. My goals with this intended major are to continue to train and grow in dancing, singing, and acting. I am also hoping to make industry connections. I hope to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Musical Theater, so that I can work on stages all around the world and then I can teach later in life. Having a BFA would give me the credentials to plan for my future. I feel strongly that my work ethic, my passion, and dedication will lead to my success in this major. This is extremely exciting that I can do this in some capacity for the rest of my life.

The area of theatre I am planning to study is musical theater earning a BFA. Something that excites me about studying musical theater at the University level is continuing to grow in something I am passionate about. I have been dancing since I was three years old. My mom said during my first recital at three years old, most kids were crying and scared, but I was dancing and smiling on stage. During one of my dances, my tap shoe came untied and fell off. Instead of crying or stopping, I kept dancing. My mom said it was at that moment she knew I was a born performer. I loved dancing so much, but I knew there was something missing. I wanted to do more. I remember doing the Nutcracker when I was ten and wanting to play a boy in the party scene because that role had more acting involved. I really loved combining my dance technique with making facial expressions. Very soon after I started to take singing lessons around ten years old. Performing made me feel alive. Performing has always been something I have been passionate about. That passion has been with me my entire life. I loved the sensation of walking onto a stage, with the adrenaline streaming throughout my body and stage lights shining down on me. There really is no greater noise than applause. I continued to train and then found my home at a fine arts school. I was fortunate to be at this school since fifth grade. I was able to take formal theater classes, dance classes and work on vocals as part of my day-to-day school schedule. I loved the feeling of being around kids that had the same goals and passion as me for the arts. Studying at the University level with likeminded artists excites me. The fact that I would continue to grow with a group that are just as passionate as me is something I look forward to. I know without a doubt, I want to major in musical theater. My goals with this intended major are to continue to train and grow in dancing, singing, and acting. I am also hoping to make industry connections. I hope to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Musical Theater, so that I can work on stages all around the world and then I can teach later in life. Having a BFA would give me the credentials to plan for my future. I feel strongly that my work ethic, my passion, and dedication will lead to my success in this major. This is extremely exciting that I can do this in some capacity for the rest of my life.

A unique challenge that I experienced throughout my life is trying to connect with my ethnicity. I’m half Mexican - American and half Indian and I struggled to make my culture tie into my life, at the same time I wanted to blend in with everyone else. My school is predominantly white so there were times when I've felt like an outsider looking in. I’ve been dancing since I was three and I’ve been on a dance company at school then entire time. I seem to be a little different from the other small, blonde, white, girls. As soon as 6th grade came, everything about me changed. I was the first girl to get her period and the first acne breakout, along with a major growth spurt. When I looked in the mirror during rehearsals all I could see was how I looked so much bigger and “more mature” compared to all my friends. Because of this image, I started to go on a strict pescatarian diet, thinking if I just lose some weight I will start to look “normal”. Besides puberty, there were still other parts of me that I wished were different. I could never borrow someone else’s concealer or extra pair of tan tights because their shade wasn’t even close to mine. This made me feel alienated every time I went to dance class. I started to not only hate myself, but I started to lose interest in dance. Therefore, I stopped competition after 8th grade and started to dive more into my deep passion for musical theater while continuing dance at school. Once in the theater world, it was like everything I thought of was backward. It seemed like they casted based on ethnicity. I felt ashamed to call myself Hispanic or South Asian because I didn’t believe that I was connected enough to my culture to even call myself that. All because I didn’t know Spanish, or I didn’t look too light skinned to be South Asian and people would say I look too whitewashed to be biracial. I’ve been working in the film industry since I was twelve and I’ve had the same problem there too, as I was always referred to as “ethnically ambiguous” for as long as I can remember. If I didn’t get a job it felt like casting wanted something else that wasn’t me. “Does she know Spanish?” “Her hair is too dark. " "Her skin complexion seems too fair to play a Latina role.” “She's South Asian? She doesn’t look Asian.” Despite this, I still wanted to prove to everyone, including myself, that I was ethnic enough. I have learned to be proud of who I am and what my ancestors have done for me. This motivation and pride helped shaped me in who I am today. I started to find my passion for dance again along with my dedication to musical theater. Once I stopped thinking about what other people looked like and being proud of what I looked like. This motivation helps me move forward. The challenges that I have faced have made me a stronger person now, and I’m proud of who I am and where I have come from. I love looking different and proudly take the stage in the skin that I love.

My favorite athlete to cheer for is Simone Biles. Simone is an athlete I've admired for a very long time. I have loved watching her journey and grow into the person that she is. She is a good role model for girls of color like me. I admire her passion and drive. She also shows how human she is in her personal life. I am a huge gymnastics fan and I have loved watching her achieve her goals and come back again and again. When she was one of the fab 5 and won her Olympic Medal I couldn't be more proud of her. She brings a uniqueness to the team and we are lucky to have her represent the US. i even watched when she got married and follow her daily life on social media. She is the best addition to Team USA and I can't wait to watch her go for the Gold in Paris 2024. As a dancer and a person of color, I admire when I can see others dreams come true. I wish my dream to come true too and this scholarship would truly help me achieve my dreams and help with college. I am attending school this fall to earn my BFA in musical theatre. I hope this scholarship will help.