Nine years ago, I stepped onto a stage for the first time, and my life changed forever. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was standing on the stage at Kent Island High School, shaking with anxiety. As I took my place on stage, I could hear the chatter of the audience just on the other side of the curtain that would soon fly open, kicking off my love for the theater. Ever since that first experience with the theater, it has grown into the single most important part of my life. The story of my growth in musical theater is the story of my growth in character and personhood. I went from a shy sixth grader who could hardly sing happy birthday in front of a crowd to a loud drama major whose entire life revolves around theater. I have found the power of theater to be profoundly inspiring. It is a whole separate medium of storytelling that requires immense levels of skill. The amazing thing about music is how complex it can be…and how simple it can be. I have seen pieces performed by a single person on a stage with no accompaniment. I have also seen pieces performed by a cast of over 50 people, accompanied by almost 30 instruments in an orchestra. What has shocked me throughout my life, however, is that the most moving pieces of music are the most simple ones. Growing up, I often felt at odds with my community. My identity didn’t exactly align with what many people around me considered “ideal”. I found solace in music. Music about people experiencing similar things to what I was going through. Musicals like Falsettos or Fun Home gave me songs that I could relate to. They also taught me acceptance, acceptance of myself. Today the theater is used to communicate controversial and important ideas. Music is an engaging form of communication, one that people can laugh to, cheer to, or even cry to. It is my dream to use theater to help others the way it has helped me. I have spent my life learning about music and gaining so much from it. It is due time that I give back to music what it has given me. I want to spend my life performing on stage and creating intimate moments with an audience. I dream that every time I perform in a musical each audience member takes home a part of the musical with them and uses it to better their own life, or others’ lives.

My mother has never settled for the easiest option. In undergrad, she worked tirelessly to reach great academic heights. She pushed herself even harder in graduate school, getting a doctorate while caring for my three year old brother, and one year old me. My mother has faced untold hardship in her life, through it all, however, she has instilled her core values of care, trust, and kindness in me, and I will work to spread these values throughout the world. I was not an easy child to raise. I had severe ADHD. When I was younger, I suffered from anger issues. I hated school. I was a picky eater. I refused to cooperate on anything. Never once did this stop my mother from trying and caring. It was through her constant support and reassurance that I was able to overcome many of these issues. I powered through my ADHD, creating academic habits that helped me reach the top 10% of my high school class. With compassion and understanding, she helped let go of my anger. When I talked about why I hated school, she listened and offered advice. If I refused a food, she didn’t force it on me which eventually opened me up to being someone eager to try any new cuisine. And when I refused to cooperate with her, she calmly and cooly convinced me to work with her. I learned from her that every problem can be solved with kindness. When something feels impossible, I try again — that’s what she always did. She tried, and failed at some things. But after every failure she picked herself up and tried until she got what she was working toward. When I look into my future, the core tenets that my mother has imbued me with will form the moral and ethical backbone of my career. It is because of the empathy my mother shared with me that I want to study politics and law. Using this education, I want to become a civil rights lawyer to protect the rights of all Americans. She taught me to care for people in need, and now I want to spend my life fighting to create a fairer world for all people. It is because of the confidence that my mother taught me that I am never afraid to try and fail at something. I take every opportunity that comes my way. If I fail, I learn, adapt, and try again. If I see a change I want to make in the world, I will fight for it. If I fail, I know that my mother has given me the power to fight for a fairer world with an eternal flame within my soul. I often think about these challenged when I look at where I am today. From a troubled, sensitive child who refused to come out of his shell to a confident college student that knows exactly who he is and what he wants to do. Though I have move past and emerged from these challenges, they will stay with me as I continue to grow into the best version of myself. Throughout this journey I have also encountered other individuals in situations similar to myself and I chose to use my experiences to lift these individuals up. I am passionate about creating a better world for everyone to live in. And, as I have come to learn, this kind of generational change starts with the smallest of actions -- every movement begins with a single person saying "I don't like something in the world and I am going to change it for the better." My upbringing has taught me that I can be that person. My mother has shaped the person that I am today. Everything that I learned from her has turned me into a stronger, smarter, and more empathetic person. I do not know where I would be today without her. Thinking about my future on this planet, what I want to do most is to help as many people as possible. A close second to that goal is that I want to make my mother proud. I want to let her know that everything she taught me as a child has resonated. I want to let her know that she is still teaching me new things every day. Every time I write a paper, or debate a topic, or fight for what’s right, I know that my mother is always there guiding me. Her lessons live in me, guiding the person I am becoming

Six years ago, I stepped onto a stage for the first time. I remember it like it was yesterday. Stepping out of the bright hallway into the blinding darkness of the stage. Feeling my way around the backstage area to find my place on the stage. Then, waiting. I was shaking from anxiety, but also excitement. I had spent weeks with the cast and crew of The Lion King and Kent Island Theatre Summer Camp and this was the moment it all paid off. After what felt like hours, the house lights went dark, and as the first notes to The Circle of Life began to blare throughout the auditorium the curtain flew open and the stage lights came up. The exact feeling of that moment was something incredibly unique. At that moment, I fell in love with musical theater and knew that I would devote my life to it. It is difficult to describe the exact feeling I had the moment the curtains flew open, but I experience it every time I open a new production. Nothing else in this world can quite compare. Since I first decided to venture on stage in The Lion King, I have performed in eight shows and am currently working on my tenth. Each time I participate in a show, I grow as a person. Many of the skills I learned on stage are just as valuable offstage. My most cherished gift that I have received from theatre, however, would be the countless friends I have made. Working with a diverse cast is such a unique gift, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends. These days, the performing arts play a larger role in my life than ever before. When I am not honing my singing, acting, or dancing skills, I am listening to various musical theatre soundtracks (I’m listening to Into the Woods as I write this) while I go about my life. Recently, I have embarked on a new journey for myself. I have begun the process of writing my first musical. Loosely inspired by the poem Haunted Houses by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, my music will explore themes of love, loss, and letting go. The thought of writing a musical is a daunting one, but I am more than up for the challenge. I could not be more excited for my future with music. There is a whole world of Musical Theatre out there just waiting to be explored. When I am grown, I dream of inspiring children to pursue the arts. Just as the performers of today inspired me. I hope that every audience I perform for leaves taking a part of my performance home with them. Music is an amazing world, and I for one can’t wait to dive headfirst into it.

My mother has never settled for the easiest option. In undergrad, she worked tirelessly to reach great academic heights. She pushed herself even harder in graduate school, getting a doctorate while caring for my three year old brother, and one year old me. My mother has faced untold hardship in her life, through it all, however, she has instilled her core values of care, trust, and kindness in me, and I will work to spread these values throughout the world. I was not an easy child to raise. I had severe ADHD. When I was younger, I suffered from anger issues. I hated school. I was a picky eater. I refused to cooperate on anything. Never once did this stop my mother from trying and caring. It was through her constant support and reassurance that I was able to overcome many of these issues. I powered through my ADHD, creating academic habits that helped me reach the top 10% of my high school class. With compassion and understanding, she helped let go of my anger. When I talked about why I hated school, she listened and offered advice. If I refused a food, she didn’t force it on me which eventually opened me up to being someone eager to try any new cuisine. And when I refused to cooperate with her, she calmly and cooly convinced me to work with her. I learned from her that every problem can be solved with kindness. When something feels impossible, I try again — that’s what she always did. She tried, and failed at some things. But after every failure she picked herself up and tried until she got what she was working toward. When I look into my future, the core tenets that my mother has imbued me with will form the moral and ethical backbone of my career. It is because of the empathy my mother shared with me that I want to study politics and law. Using this education, I want to become a civil rights lawyer to protect the rights of all Americans. She taught me to care for people in need, and now I want to spend my life fighting to create a fairer world for all people. It is because of the confidence that my mother taught me that I am never afraid to try and fail at something. I take every opportunity that comes my way. If I fail, I learn, adapt, and try again. If I see a change I want to make in the world, I will fight for it. If I fail, I know that my mother has given me the power to fight for a fairer world with an eternal flame within my soul. My mother has shaped the person that I am today. Everything that I learned from her has turned me into a stronger, smarter, and more empathetic person. I do not know where I would be today without her. Thinking about my future on this planet, what I want to do most is to help as many people as possible. A close second to that goal is that I want to make my mother proud. I want to let her know that everything she taught me as a child has resonated. I want to let her know that she is still teaching me new things every day. Every time I write a paper, or debate a topic, or fight for what’s right, I know that my mother is always there guiding me. Her lessons live in me, guiding the person I am becoming

From my first time in New York City as a young child, I fell in love with the city. The hustle and bustle of everything, the fact that everyone seems to have a purpose. It felt rather magical. Throughout my college search, I knew that I just had to go to college in New York City. Four of my top five choices for college were in New York City. I worked incredibly hard for four years to get to where I am now, and I am lucky enough to have been accepted to New York University. Despite the excitement at my acceptance to my dream college, the reality of the cost soon dawned upon me. NYU is a very expensive school, though, it is not without its benefits. My dream is to major in Musical Theatre and bring the joy of the performing arts to as many people as possible. Unfortunately, the sheer cost of attending NYU makes this dream difficult to achieve. It is a challenge I am willing to face head on, but doing so will take up time from my studies. A scholarship would allow me to focus even more on my studies. I don’t expect to have everything paid for and handed to me, but the aid from this scholarship would allow me to worry less about the cost of everything and let me become the best possible version of myself. Though scoffed at by some and completely laughed at by others, the performing arts are an incredibly important part of the world. For years, Musical Theatre has been used to communicate controversial ideas in an easy-to-understand manner. A Strange Loop, Next to Normal, Hadestown, and many others all introduce important societal ideas to audiences that may never have considered the impacts of these issues. By pursuing Musical Theater, I will bring discussions of controversial and important topics to more people than ever before. Theater facilitates important discussions about society, and I would love to help facilitate that. Additionally, in pursuing Musical Theater, I dream of bringing it to every corner of the world, especially those that have experienced a lack of it. My high school theater community is full of the most loving and welcoming people I have ever met; I would love nothing more than to bring this same type of community to youth around the world. Musical Theater is a vital form of enrichment, discussion, and even pure entertainment. In receiving a scholarship, I will be able to focus more ardently on my studies as a Musical Theater major. This will enable me to spread the joy and love of the performing arts to people around the world.

Six years ago, I stepped on stage for the first time, a moment which lives vividly in my memory. That stage marked the beginning of a transformative journey with the theatre, the single greatest passion in my life. From a shy sixth grader to a bombastic high school senior, the theatre sculpted my identity and became my first true love. Theatre is a profoundly flexible storyteller, capable of both spectacle and intimacy. From black box sets to the biggest Broadway stage, its power lies not in the polish but in the emotions it evokes. Through my struggles, the theatre provided comfort and taught me acceptance. Musicals like Falsettos and Fun Home, for example, became anchors of understanding, shaping my self-perception and encouraging empathy. Now, theatre is my rock, guiding me towards a future where I can return its impact on my life. Through performance and creation, I will share intimate moments with audiences, with each performance resonating with the potential to inspire change. My dream is to fill every theatrical performance with meaning/ I want to leave audience members empowered to enrich others' lives. In this pursuit, will harness theatre’s communicative power to address pertinent issues and foster connection. Through the theatre, I can create positive change and contribute to a world where understanding and empathy thrive.

Six years ago, I stepped onto a stage for the first time, and music changed my life forever. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was standing on stage at Kent Island High School, shaking with anxiety. As I took my place on stage, I heard the chatter of the audience just on the other side of the curtain that would soon fly open, kicking off my love for the theatre. Ever since that first experience with theatre, it has remained one of the largest parts of my life. The story of my growth in musical theatre is the story of my life. I went from a shy sixth grader who could hardly keep rhythm to a loud high school senior whose entire life revolves around music. I have found the power of music to be profoundly inspiring. It is a whole separate medium of storytelling that requires immense levels of skill. The amazing thing about music is how complex it can be…and how simple it can be. I have seen pieces performed by a single person on a stage with no accompaniment. I have also seen pieces performed by a cast of over 50 people, accompanied by almost 30 instruments in an orchestra. What has shocked me throughout my life, however, is that the most moving pieces of music are the most simple ones. Growing up, I often felt at odds with my community. My identity didn’t exactly align with what many people around me considered “ideal”. I found solace in music. Music about people experiencing similar things to what I was going through. Musicals like Falsettos or Fun Home gave me songs that I could relate to. They also taught me acceptance, acceptance of myself. Today music is used to communicate controversial and important ideas. Music is an engaging form of communication, one that people can laugh to, cheer to, or even cry to. It is my dream to use music to help others the way it has helped me. I have spent my life learning about music and gaining so much from it. It is due time that I give back to music what it has given me. I want to spend my life performing on stage and creating intimate moments with an audience. I dream that every time I perform in a musical each audience member takes home a part of the musical with them and uses it to better their own life, or others’ lives.

Six years ago, I stepped onto a stage for the first time. I remember it like it was yesterday. Stepping out of the bright hallway into the blinding darkness of the stage. Feeling my way around the backstage area to find my place on the stage. Then, waiting. I was shaking from anxiety, but also excitement. I had spent weeks with the cast and crew of The Lion King and Kent Island Theatre Summer Camp and this was the moment it all paid off. After what felt like hours, the house lights went dark, and as the first notes to The Circle of Life began to blare throughout the auditorium the curtain flew open and the stage lights came up. The exact feeling of that moment was something incredibly unique. At that moment, I fell in love with musical theater and knew that I would devote my life to it. It is difficult to describe the exact feeling I had the moment the curtains flew open, but I experience it every time I open a new production. Nothing else in this world can quite compare. Since I first decided to venture on stage in The Lion King, I have performed in seventh shows and am currently working on my seventh and last show in my hometown of Kent Island. Each time I participate in a show, I grow as a person. Many of the skills I learned on stage are just as valuable offstage. My most cherished gift that I have received from theatre, however, would be the countless friends I have made. Working with a diverse cast is such a unique gift, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends. These days, the performing arts play a larger role in my life than ever before. When I am not honing my singing, acting, or dancing skills, I am listening to various musical theatre soundtracks (I’m listening to Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods as I write this) while I go about my life. Recently, I have embarked on a new journey for myself. I have begun the process of writing my first musical. Loosely inspired by the poem Haunted Houses by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, my poem will explore themes of love, loss, and letting go. The thought of writing a musical is a daunting one, but I am more than up for the challenge. I could not be more excited for my future in the arts. There is a whole world of performing arts out there just waiting to be explored. When I am grown, I dream of inspiring children to pursue the performing arts. Just as the actors of today inspired me. I hope that every audience of a show that I take part in leaves the theatre taking a part of the show home with them. The performing arts are an amazing world, and I for one can’t wait to dive headfirst into it.

Six years ago, I stepped onto a stage for the first time, and music changed my life forever. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was standing on stage at Kent Island High School, shaking with anxiety. As I took my place on stage, I heard the chatter of the audience just on the other side of the curtain that would soon fly open, kicking off my love for the theatre. Ever since that first experience with theatre, it has remained one of the largest parts of my life. The story of my growth in musical theatre is the story of my life. I went from a shy sixth grader who could hardly keep rhythm to a loud high school senior whose entire life revolves around music. I have found the power of music to be profoundly inspiring. It is a whole separate medium of storytelling that requires immense levels of skill. The amazing thing about music is how complex it can be…and how simple it can be. I have seen pieces performed by a single person on a stage with no accompaniment. I have also seen pieces performed by a cast of over 50 people, accompanied by almost 30 instruments in an orchestra. What has shocked me throughout my life, however, is that the most moving pieces of music are the most simple ones. Growing up, I often felt at odds with my community. My identity didn’t exactly align with what many people around me considered “ideal”. I found solace in music. Music about people experiencing similar things to what I was going through. Musicals like Falsettos or Fun Home gave me songs that I could relate to. They also taught me acceptance, acceptance of myself. Today music is used to communicate controversial and important ideas. Music is an engaging form of communication, one that people can laugh to, cheer to, or even cry to. It is my dream to use music to help others the way it has helped me. I have spent my life learning about music and gaining so much from it. It is due time that I give back to music what it has given me. I want to spend my life performing on stage and creating intimate moments with an audience. I dream that every time I perform in a musical each audience member takes home a part of the musical with them and uses it to better their own life, or others’ lives.

Over a decade ago, on an early August morning, my family excitedly boarded a plane to Orlando. My parents had not told my brothers and me where we would be going, I was honestly just excited to get to go on a plane! We landed in Orlando a couple of hours later, stepping out into the thick, humid summer air, I looked to my right, and none other than mickey mouse was waving through a bus window. Boarding Disney's Magical Express sparked a lifelong love for Disney that would turn me into the person I am today. I still vividly remember that vacation, meeting all my favorite characters, riding the most amazing rides anywhere in the world, and watching a magnificent nighttime spectacular to round off each day. Disney's entire storytelling platform is one of the greatest in the world, however, the masterful work done to create Disney Parks resonates especially deeply with me. After our first trip in 2010, we visited Disney World every year until 2014, when my brothers and I were old enough to travel abroad and appreciate everything that other vacation destinations had to offer. Though we stopped going to Walt Disney World, my love for it never faded in the slightest. It was obvious that every part of those parks had been crafted with love, care, and intent. I had experienced nothing like Disney before, and perhaps nothing will come close to that experience. Over the years, I spent countless hours pouring over information about Disney parks around the world, anyone could ask me anything about Disney, and I would almost always have an answer. As much as my love for the parks was maintained, it would be almost ten years before my family would return to a Disney Park. In 2021, My dad told my brothers and me that we would be road-tripping up the West Coast for our summer vacation. 10 days traveling from Los Angeles to Seattle. My father - and anyone who spent any time with me - was well aware of how important Disney was to me. He offered for us to spend a day at Disneyland, to which my brothers and I responded with a resounding yes. Though we had never been to Disneyland before, being back in a Disney park created a rush of nostalgia within me. Disney represents my entire childhood and means so much to me that being able to visit Disneyland, to walk in Walt Disney's footsteps, I was happier than I'd been in a long time. Later that year, on Christmas, my mom surprised my brothers and me with a trip to Disney World. 9 years after stopping our visits to Disney World, we would finally be back. That short, 4-day trip was one of my favorite trips ever. I half expected to be mildly disappointed with the parks, as I was now much older and had a much different understanding of the world. But once I stepped through the gates at the Magic Kingdom, it was like I was 7 years old again, and I only appreciated the parks even more than before. For the past decade of my life, Disney has been my rock. The inclusive storytelling in their films and the magic within their parks live with me every day. I have used Disney's stories to push through the hardest times of my life, only helping to increase just how much it means to me. One day, I hope to work with Disney, telling stories and creating a whole new generation of Disney dreamers.