My Life. by Cody

My Life. by Cody - January 2022 Scholarship Essay

As a child, I was never really allowed to do anything that you would associate with childhood. I wasn’t allowed to go outside and play, my elder sister practically despised me, and I didn’t have any real friends. I even had to cook my own food when my parents weren’t home, and if they were, if I made even the slightest loud noise I was punished and went hungry. My life was the inside of my room and the wonderful box that hung on the wall. The beautiful animations, the heart tapping action, the heartfelt tender moments, this was my television and the soul I gained.

Watching the characters interact with each other and the world around them lit up a spark within me that hasn’t gone out to this day. I have entered into the world of acting and technology. Figuring out how the actors gave themselves over to the characters they played and how they seamlessly were able to swap from their lives to professionalism in a snap fascinated me. Watching the effects and behind the scenes' technology the production used to bring these stories to life gave me pause, how did they work? And how could I learn to do so as well? It wasn’t as easy as the hero’s journey may make it out to be. I experienced very quickly that it took great mental fortitude to become an actor.

Doing a whole production was something I had never done before my seventh grade year. Was I nervous? No, of course not. I was completely and totally terrified. Before our middle school productions of “An Inconvenient Corpse” and “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” memorization was never my strongest quality. I still haven’t fully memorized the multiplication and division tables. But the cast and director gave me a chance to be better, and I wasn’t about to squander their kindness. I kept working and working at it until I got it as good as I could. To this day I continue to be in productions, be it at my high school for “Little Shop of Horrors” or at my local theater for “Addams Family”, “Happy Days”, “Once Upon a Mattress”, and hopefully “Sweeney Todd.” Falling into a character gives such a feeling of freedom that I can’t help but get a high from going on stage. My heart beats so fast I can barely feel it, my legs shake so badly that I understand what Chihuahuas live like. The end of the night, when curtain call is a bittersweet experience. Taking a bow with my cast mates I can’t help but have a massive smile on my face but I can’t help but be sad that the show is over.

But then, while being on stage, I could see the technicians working at the sound booth, or working the lights and wondering how they worked. Watching the buttons, levers, and dials be moved, getting microphones attached, or the lenses being placed inside the lights fascinated my mind. Sadly, I never learned how to work these machines or be a technician, though I do hope to remedy this in the future. Alongside this I’ve also begun working with 3D modeling and printing those models with my 3D printer which I bought with hard-earned money at my summer job. I can’t wait to learn more about the performance arts or computer sciences of 3D models and visual effects.

These experiences have shaped my personality and traits I possess. The traits I have are memorization, adaptability, and outgoing. These traits allow me to flow easily into acting and computer sciences.