Dreaming a Dream by Maia

Dreaming a Dream by Maia - March 2025 Scholarship Essay

When I dream about my career after I finish college in just two years, I see myself as a professional, triple-threat actor working in stage, film, and voice acting. While many actors do not make much money, especially just starting out, my goal for ten years hence is to be able to support myself and my family through the means of performance alone. I am not above taking side jobs to further my goals and provide financial security, but the truest expression of my desire to work is found in creating art.

I am continually reminded by everyone that this will be hard and that I will likely not make much money, but I have accepted the inherent danger and challenge of a career in acting. I am moving forward because it is my greatest passion, and I know that the field of performing arts is where I have been called to make an impact.

I do not believe that you become an actor, I believe that you are born one. As an actor, you not only have the innate desire to communicate, experience, imagine, and empathize with the lives of other people, but the strange urge to do it in front of an audience or the camera as though neither were there. I have done nothing more difficult. My largest academic challenges were AP classes, but those require only your mind; acting requires your soul. If you do not have an undeniable desire to succeed in the craft, you will be found lacking and ultimately fail.

I have had the wild dream to act since I first did it in fourth grade, but I later realized that, due to its difficulty, I would need an exceptional collegiate acting program to make the dream reality. Learning about acting must take place in community with experienced people (professors) who will tell you the harsh truth about your performances so you can improve. I was fortunate to find such a community at my university.

The purpose of my undergraduate training in acting, singing, and dancing is to provide me with a wide variety of skills (e.g. theories from Stanislavski to Adler, stage combat and movement, and vocal training) to take with me and choose from in the professional world. My program’s high level of expectation shames that of many other colleges and is professionally focused. I am being given the knowledge and tools I need to launch into the professional world and keep learning and perfecting my craft, one of continuous growth and education.

I am continually reminded how grateful I am for my incredibly knowledgeable and passionate professors, and I strive every day to take the greatest advantage of my education possible. The more I master now and the more initiative I take, the more likely I will be to be cast after graduation and the further along I will be toward my goal.