I'm a nerd and proud of it! by Analeigh

I'm a nerd and proud of it! by Analeigh - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

My life is a mix of art, academics, theatre, reading and travel. I’ve been fortunate to be able to explore all of these areas while growing up. I love learning and am excited for college; I’m a creative nerd and enjoy all things art related.

My love for English and reading started young. My shelves are filled with a variety of things spanning from classic literature to comic books. The most important books I own are my Penguin Clothbound Classics. I’m in possession of fifteen out of a large collection that I will eventually complete. Each one I read reminds me of the importance of preserving literature for our future generations to consume.

I also have had the ability to travel with my family, which has given me a worldwide perspective when it comes to art. Being able to appreciate and connect with different cultures through my travels has become one of the most important skills of my life and who I am. The diverse artwork I’ve seen in places such as Portugal and Mexico, as well as locations in the United States from New England to the South, have influenced my own creations. The influence of artwork and architecture I’ve seen is something that excites me.

This influence has helped me in the realm of theatre, which has been my passion throughout high school, where I’ve designed sets and been deeply involved in our performing arts department. As part of my theatre department and Thespian troupe, I’ve contributed to productions and collaboration, bringing stories to life. What excites me most about theatrical design is the creativity and problem-solving required. Every set brings unique challenges that insist I think more critically and adapt to new circumstances, which I find rewarding.

Problem-solving is one of the most creative things I do. My role as the student technical director for my high school theatre department has given me countless opportunities to develop this skill.

While building the set for our fall play, Arsenic and Old Lace, we planned to use pressurized paint sprayers for texturing, but over the weekend, a team oversight caused the sprayers to explode, leaving a mess in our scene shop. The problems that this explosion produced required creative solutions.

Once I received the news of the issue, I quickly created a new plan: clean the shop, repaint the walls of the set, and add more photos to fill the space instead of forcing the texturing. This experience taught me adaptability, resourcefulness, and the importance of collaboration to ensure safe, effective solutions.

Through all of this, I’m pretty much a self proclaimed nerd, and proud of it. I can’t wait to pursue a creative career and find my people once I head to college. I've been accepted and committed to major in Theatre Design/Production at UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television, which only accepted 60 department students from 1800+ applicants, with only 15 accepted globally in my program. Pursuing a Theatre major with a design emphasis will allow me to refine the skills I’ve developed—reliability, organization, creativity, and active listening—while exploring a field I truly love.