Best Cat by Zurie

Best Cat by Zurie - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

I am passionate about arts and I believe arts can transform the world. Within the world of arts, irrespective of the chosen media- i.e. writing, poetry, drawing, singing, acting, etc.-possibilities to touch lives and create transformative changes are endless.
The possibility to influence and empower others manifested itself when I was invited by Ms. Lenny, the principal of my elementary school, to join the summer camp teaching staff as a volunteer, upon my 8th grade graduation. At the beginning of the six-weeks long summer camp, as I was teaching dance and visual arts to summer campers from 5 to 12 years old, they appeared either subdued or intimidated. But, after only a couple of days, I could actually see the transformation of each student as she/he gained confidence to attempt and perfect a dance move. The students’ expressive drawings and sculpting gradually moved from basic to bold and exciting and engaging. At the end of the two classes, the learning and teaching became noticeably intertwined, as each student created a poster to present her/his developmental journey. It was clear that the lives of all involved, including mine, had been positively touched.
Reflecting on my success with these two particular classes and subsequent teaching opportunities, I realized the campers’ transformation mirrored how my own journey and the love for arts have evolved. My journey started when, in second grade, my mom enrolled me in the Riverside Children’s Theatre (RCT) to overcome childhood shyness. Little did she know that RCT will not only transform me into an overly social and empathetic person but will also cultivate in me a serious passion for the arts. RCT gave me the optimum platform to bloom and discover my passion through playing various lead characters, which garnered multiple awards and made possible valuable networking opportunities as both mentee and mentor.
As a non-profit organization, RCT encourages and also counts on its alumni to continue to promote art education and appreciation to the next generation of thespians. Like many other RCT graduates, I also volunteer to coach, mentor, and assist with make-up and props during RCT’s Fall and Spring plays. During a particular coaching session about Alice In Wonderland’s character-Cheshire Cat, I vividly remembered working with Billy who was going to audition to be the Cheshire Cat and had seen me play that same role when he was 9 years old. As the coaching session was ending, Billy told me I was the reason he was auditioning to be the Cheshire Cat and that he intended to be the best Cat ever. I told him I could not have been prouder to have influenced his choice of character and that I believe he has the talent to be the best Cheshire Cat ever. To this day, Billy and I greet each other with the word Best Cat.