Performance Workshop Ensemble (PWE)

I have been involved in theatre since I was in the fourth grade and from day one, I was hooked. Nothing has given me as much excitement, encouragement or pride as the feeling when I know that I have helped in some way to make a production come to fruition. I have been onstage, backstage, in the audience, working front of house, selling concessions, and more of the hundreds of tiny things that go into making a theatre department thrive.

When I started volunteering at Utica Dance in the fall of 2014, I was just as nervous as the newly enrolled dancers in the class I was about to teach. Even though I was only the Volunteer Assistant to the Dance Instructor, I felt as if a heavy responsibility was placed upon me. I oversaw almost twelve children ranging from seven to thirteen who all wanted desperately to become professional dancers, many of which are still pursuing that dream. On top of that, all these children had begged their parents to sign them up for an expensive, intensive fundamental ballet program; then dragged their parents to buy tights and leotards; then dragged them into the waiting room of a dance

I have been involved with in our school and our community. In our school I was nominated for head of Prom committee this year. This position is quite stressful but I would not have it any other way. I enjoy being able to help and put my mark on it for our school. I brainstorm for fundraisers, activities, and small jobs our class can do to raise money. I also get to choose our revenue, theme for prom, and decorations. I do all of this within out tight budget. I

Over the past six years, I have been a very active member in the theatre community. I have performed in 22 productions, 8 of which were in my high school career. I became a member of the Alamance Children’s Theatre board in 2011. Ever since, I have helped volunteer to paint sets, promote productions, make playbills, and even act in the shows themselves. At Studio 1, they have days each month to go out and clean the costume rooms, declutter, move furniture, and make Studio 1 into a better theatre. I volunteer my Saturdays to go clean and reorganize

In addition, it was the little moments during performances that nurtured my desire to become a professional musician. The endeavor of singing on stage while hesitant and shaky, and the joy after finishing. Sitting in an ensemble with my alto saxophone, and playing with fellow musicians who shared my love for music, finding that perfect harmony. Experiencing a sense of freedom as I strummed and picked my heart away on stage with my guitar.

I participated in the Lion King Musical put on by D.C, Everest. My part was in the ensemble.

It was a sunny day around 3:00 P.M. and we had just checked the mail, I received a letter stating that I had been chosen to participate in the 2015 Miss Teen Little Rock Pageant for a chance to receive a chance at a 30,000 scholarship, and if I won I would compete in Nationals in Orlando Florida. I was excited about the opportunity and was going to give it a shot even though I had always said, “I will never be in a pageant even if I was offered,” but I knew I would need the scholarship for college. The first meeting came around and we didn’t have the gas to go so I called the main office and they filled my in on what exactly I needed to do. I started filling out the paper work and went door to door and to businesses’ receiving sponsors I was

It was a second chance to be out under the lights marching and being a part of the band. It was not the most glamorous job but it was better than being on the sidelines. I worked into the school year to receive a spot on the prop crew. We pushed these seven-foot tall wood and steel panels during the show and loaded and the equipment for the band and without us the show wouldn’t work, so it was a fairly important role. Even Though I was not a main part of the show playing my instrument I still had to go to every morning practice at 7:00am and all the games. I was still a part of the band and even though it was hard work and very challenging to balance work and school, it paid off. Being in band and working so hard has taken me to Oklahoma, Atlanta Georgia for three days and St. Louis Missouri for two days to compete in the biggest competition in the nation

I’ve grown up in an alternate family structure with my aunt becoming my guardian at the start of my 9th grade year. Without her I don’t know where I would be because she has continuously supported me through everything I do no matter how different. I have experienced so much and she helps me toward all my dreams. Even through taking care of her parents when they became ill and eventually passed she was always there for me and now that I have grown a bit, I can be there for her. Now we have come to this new challenge and though she will always support me, it gets difficult sometimes financially and funding from the Greater Albany Chapter of Savannah State University Alumni Association would greatly put me on the right track to realize my dreams as a young black male. I thank this organization for giving me the opportunity to be considered for

Over the past four years at UW Oshkosh I feel proud of my accomplishments. I started the a cappella organization my freshman year and it is still going strong today. This experience has given me a lot of insight as to how difficult it is to run a music program including keeping the singers engaged. I have also been involved in NAfME Collegiate where I

For the past six years, I have been dancing at Shirley Matta Dance Academy. I have been taught many dances of different variety such as jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, etc. The studio has recently begun offering Pointe classes, which I also attend. In addition to attending the studio, I also assist in teaching dance and gymnastics classes there. This has been an experience that I will never forget, especially since I spend most of my time at the dance studio. It has helped me in so many ways. Not only have I improved immensely as a dancer, my communication and leadership skills have skyrocketed as well. In fact, every Tuesday, I currently teach ballet to a group of about fifteen girls between the ages of 7-10 year all by myself. In

I was also honoured with the opportunity to teach, lead and be responsible for two of the classes who visited the school. I had to introduce the leadership SHSM, give instructions in regards to the activity and ensure that everyone new what they were doing. This was a phenomenal opportunity for me since I want to

During my time in the FFA, my two partners and I created a business marketing plan and made it to the State competition. Although we did not place in Nationals, the learning experience of the marketing plan and the memories we made were priceless. While most students in the Work Based Learning Program left school and went to work, I stayed at school and my job was to help the teachers with whatever they needed. From making copies, laminating posters, grading papers, to even decorating classrooms, I helped the English Department with whatever tasks they otherwise would have to take out of their personal time to do. While the other students had jobs in this program and received a wage, I was one of the few that didn’t because I chose to help the teachers. My favorite club out of them all was HOSA, considering my passion for nursing. In this class/club, I learned the basic nursing skills and received my CPR and First Aide certification. While in HOSA, I helped the Middle School with their yearly physicals for

Over the course of my service learning project, I worked for at two sites. The first site that I served roughly three quarters of my time at was as a part of the Buckingham Drama Club, a student-run organization. I was part of the student team that painted, gathered, and constructed the sets for the annual musical. The Drama Club organizes two productions per year, one play and one musical. The Board of Directors, set construction, costuming, gathering props, music for the show, backstage volunteering, and audition committee are all student-provided. Without the help and dedication of the students, there would be no play. The other site I worked for, with which I completed the rest of my hours, was the Ramallah Club of San

During the Fall 2015 semester, I earned leadership opportunities in my hobby of hip hop dance. I became the Administrative Director for my dance team, Hip Hop Connxion Indiana, which is a hip hop dance team comprised of 23 dancers from IU who perform and participate in various events in the local community to inspire others in a positive manner. Furthermore, I teach a hip hop class for a group of five high school girls at the United Arts Academy of Dance & Gymnastics and a class of about eight kids ages 8-14 at Enlighten Wellness Yoga, both in Bloomington, IN. Besides my dedication to being an encouraging, positive role model through hip hop dance, I also have been active in applying for job shadow opportunities as well as internships; a recent