Help Law get to Yale: 3 lessons I learned…

There are 3 life changing lessons I learned on my journey to Yale… but first…

MY STORY:

Sometimes, rock bottom is where the lessons are.

The year is 2016. My phone rings. It’s a New York number. It’s The Juilliard School. My heart pounds. Weeks ago, 2,500 actors auditioned for the program, 40 were invited to the final callback weekend. I was one of the 40. I sacrificed everything to be there: sleep, work, money I didn’t have, and most importantly, time with my beautiful daughter. I’m determined to show her the power of hard work and chasing your dreams. I imagined the smile on her face when I tell her, “Daddy did it, baby! I got in!”

And now, it’s here. The call! The fate of all my dreams on the other end of an iPhone. I answer and I listen.

The hardest part of not getting into Juilliard wasn’t not getting in (although that crushed my spirit), it was looking into my daughter’s eyes and her telling me, “It’s okay, Daddy. You tried really hard.”

The first lesson I learned on this journey: All your dreams will not become reality. Sometimes, rejection knocks you to the ground so you can find your feet—your “WHY.” PERSEVERE.

I needed to show my daughter that giving up is never an option! But here’s the thing about rock bottom, most times, it feels like being stranded in the ocean while wave after wave slams into you. And no one is coming to save you. You have to save yourself.

My waves took the form of a devastating divorce, losing support of some family and friends, learning to navigate New York, near crippling poverty, humbly signing up for welfare in order to survive, and most of all, not being able to see my baby girl. But, I kept moving and wiping every tear. I dig deep and I try again.

The second time I auditioned for Juilliard. I worked harder. Sacrificed more. Pushed myself to the brink of exhaustion. I made it to final callback weekend the first time, maybe the lesson was I just needed to push myself past my limits? Surely, that would be enough.

Well, this time I don't even make a callback round, let alone a callback weekend. I’m devastated. Depression sets in, hard. I call my best friend and tell them I think I’m ready to quit. My heart can’t handle any more rejection.

“It’s okay, Daddy. You tried really hard.”

The second most important lesson I learned at rock bottom: TRUST THE PROCESS. If a door does not open, it’s not your door.

Trusting the process put me in rehearsal rooms with Sara Bareilles, Channing Tatum, Kat McPhee, and Jordan Sparks. By the top of 2020 I had been in two Broadway shows, I’m finally beginning to find my feet again and my career is promising.

And then, the week after opening my show on Broadway, a tsunami hit: Covid-19 shut down Broadway for nearly two years. Rock bottom, again. I was asking God: Should I let this dream go? Maybe it’s just not meant to be.

The third lesson I learned at rock bottom came from one of my biggest inspirations, Anthony Hopkins. In an interview he said, “Believe! Believe! Believe!” It was time to try again even if I had to do it afraid.

When I got into Yale, I learned a bonus lesson: rock bottom only makes sense in hindsight and when you’re at the bottom, climbing out oftentimes feels impossible. But you must climb anyway. And you must not be afraid to ask for help as you climb.

So here I am, writing to you, my community, asking for your support as I continue my climb.

Being a Dad and full-time student at Yale means no full time job, and after surviving a pandemic and now the crushing weight of inflation, I could use some help.After a full-ride and some living expenses covered, I’m left with the remaining sum to cover travel, moving, and living expenses. 

Please donate what you can. $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100. Every little bit helps and goes a long way. And if at this time, you are unable to donate, it costs nothing to share this GoFundMe campaign on your social media and share my story.

Going to Yale will not just radically change my life, it also will help me impact my community, but most of all, it will change my daughter’s life. I get to teach my daughter that perseverance, trusting the process, and believing in yourself is the elixir for a life of manifested dreams.

“Daddy did it, baby! I got in!”

Blessings to you for your gifts and shares. I hope you persevere, trust your process, and never ever stop believing.

With tremendous gratitude,

Law Dunford