Scholarship Entry #4: Chelsea C.

My life was changed by an insubstantial looking envelope. Fearing rejection, I delayed reading the contents of the envelope by reliving an eventful day:

I contemplated whether or not I should even enter the studio. Forty girls lined the walls, all wearing identical black leotards and pink tights. I began to feel nauseous. Totally untrained, I was sure to make an impression. The odds of it being a good one were not in my favor. The ballet mistress shouted a slew of unfamiliar words: plié, arabesque, pirouette. I struggled to fight back tears as I attempted to mimic her movements. I flashed the judges vulnerable smiles in a last stitch effort for mercy. Before I knew it, class was over. I hoped my potential would be recognized.

Luckily, the envelope was an acceptance to a performing arts school. I spent seven years receiving world class ballet training. My training was a gift, but not because I mastered the routines. Ballet was a gift because it taught me discipline, ambition, motivation, determination, and confidence. Ballet has made me who I am today and has taught me what it means to set and achieve goals.

I would never have had the opportunity to learn ballet if it weren't for the patronage of others. Dreyfoos is one of the few public schools to receive enough funding to sustain an arts program. I knew I was privileged, and have worked to pass my knowledge on to the less fortunate. I was vice president of a club that used talent to give back; we participated in afterschool programs, and hosted a free summer camp for underprivileged kids. The correlation between the arts and academic achievement and self-confidence is significant. In a time of incessant budget cuts, the arts are disappearing for children who can not afford private lessons -- children who need the arts most. My passion is to bring the arts to those children and instill them with positive values.

My focus has shifted from ballet to the music business. The University of North Alabama has an entertainment program which allows me to continue to thrive amongst others with a passion for the arts. I would like to operate a venue one day in order to promote the arts by bringing artists to the community. Working in a field of performing artists will also help me obtain my ultimate goal --to create an organization that secures funding for and increases exposure of the fine arts to underprivileged kids.

I am planning on using the resources at the University of North Alabama to get started. I already sparked the interest, from my talented peers, to start a student organization. My education is also going to be an asset; with a good understanding of the music business, double business minors, and positive attributes shaped by the arts, I am confident I will have the means one day to create, and carryout, a business plan which will give children the opportunity I had.