Hi, my name is Zoe. I’m a 19-year-old Londoner, and acting has been my escape ever since I was a quiet kid at school. Everything changed when I met an amazing Drama GCSE teacher who encouraged me to believe this could really be my future. With her support, I got into The BRIT School, one of the UK’s most competitive performing arts colleges. Over the past two years I’ve become part of an incredible theatre community through companies including Burnt Orange Theatre, Almeida Theatre and The Yard Theatre, I was accepted into the Springboard programme at the Lyric Hammersmith. The work was fast-paced, collaborative and full of people from completely different backgrounds and experiences. I spent as much time as I could going to workshops and free theatre nights, often being the youngest person in the room, soaking up every piece of advice people generously shared with me. I got the support of a mentor Alex Murdoch through Arts Emergency.

The more I learned, the more certain I became that this is what I want to dedicate my life to. Last year, I decided to take a chance and apply to drama schools in the United States. One of those schools was The Juilliard School. Juilliard felt impossible to me at first. The kind of place I never imagined someone from my background could even dream of attending. But the more I researched the school, the more I fell in love with its intensity, its creativity, and the way it pushes artists to grow not just as performers but as people. I submitted my first audition tape in November and, amazingly, was invited to audition in person in New York City. It was my first time travelling overseas alone. The audition day began with around 150 applicants. By the final callback round there were only 10 of us left. A month later, I was invited back for Juilliard’s final callback weekend. It was a four-day audition process made up of classes, workshops and interviews with faculty and current students. It was honestly one of the most inspiring experiences of my life. I met some of the most talented and passionate people I’ve ever encountered, and for the first time I could genuinely picture myself in an environment where art, discipline and curiosity are valued so deeply. I left New York completely in awe of what had just happened. The day after I flew back to London, I got a call while standing in the middle of King’s Cross station telling me I had been offered a place in Juilliard’s Drama Division. On top of that they offered me a full scholarship covering all four years of tuition. This opportunity is beyond anything I ever imagined possible. But there is one huge obstacle standing in the way. Although my tuition is fully funded, international students must prove they can afford living costs in New York in order to secure a student visa. As an international student, I also cannot legally work to support myself while studying. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and right now my dream depends entirely on being able to raise these funds. I am fundraising £20,000 to help cover accommodation, food, transport and essential living costs while I study in New York. Every donation, however big or small, brings me closer to being able to accept this place and begin this journey. I don’t take any of this lightly. I know how rare this opportunity is, and I promise I will work as hard as I possibly can to make the most of it. Thank you so much for reading, supporting, donating, or sharing my story. It means more than I can say.