Hi! my name is Zoe, and I am an 19 year old actress from London. Acting has been my escape, my passion, and my purpose for as long as I can remember. I fell in love with it at the age of 11, it was the only time I wasn’t the shy kid, it helped me feel whole; When I did my first school play, I realised that I could express myself loudly and confidently, play, and not have to explain myself. I admired child actors and movie stars but it didn't occur to me, that could be me.

I loved it but it was never presented to me as a career. I started secondary school and had my first drama lesson, I just felt truly in my element, for the first time I felt like the top of the class. With every other subject I tried my hardest to get myself up the rankings but drama class felt natural, I always cared about school and exceeding people’s expectations of me, but with Drama I really cared; Something lit up in me it didn’t feel like I was proving myself, I felt at home, I had an amazing Drama GCSE teacher who nurtured my passion and was honest and encouraging with me.

In Year 10, I discovered the BRIT School. It felt like a crazy leap to go from a very academic school where, just doing the school musicals felt like a big commitment, to going to a school where every day was devoted to theatre. But my drama teacher thought it was a good idea, and it hit me that this love I have for the craft was much bigger than I was letting myself admit, it’s all I think about, surrendering myself to a story;

It makes me feel whole, it's freeing to look through another person's lens to remind myself what it is to be human, I couldn’t ignore a feeling like that. I went to the school's open day and I realised that it was that important to me, not getting to do this for the rest of my life really feels like the end of the world and there’s no way I’m not going to give it all I got.

I applied, auditioned and got in, and the past two years there have taught me so much, I’ve become a part of the beautiful theatre community in London, BRIT opened my eyes to theatre which was never accessible to me before, I had only watched one play before I joined that school and then all of a sudden I’m seeing several brilliant shows every month, through the school I learnt about discipline, and the importance of preparation, I’ve become an artist that goes beyond acting, I love to write and direct.

It truly solidified that this is my calling.

During my course at BRIT I then applied and took part in several youth theatre companies, Burnt Orange theatre, Almeida Theatre, The Yard Theatre, the work was quick paced and everybody came from different backgrounds and experiences, It felt like I was working at a professional capacity and as I continued to go to workshops and free theatre nights, often being the youngest person in the room, I could soak up advice generously given, constantly learning. 

I began growing a taste for specific work and growing as a more self aware actor, but there is a mastery and toolkit that I haven’t tapped into yet. That is why I want to get training.

I’ve decided to take a gap year, to get some life experience, learn a lot more about myself and most importantly work, to raise as much money as I can for Drama School.

Last year I had a really big ambition of applying to schools in the US. The main choice at first was NYU. It was in the city of my dreams . My financial situation made that path feel close to impossible, even if I did apply or get in I wouldn’t have been able to pay for even a year there, it had been my dream school for as long as I could imagine, I didn’t apply and I decided to look more into UK drama schools and that’s when I learnt about conservatoires, how intense and devoted you have to be, you can be in class from 10 am - 6pm and the teachers are absolute geniuses at what they do, NYU didn’t have that, sure it had the campus of New York City which has been my dream since I could walk but it was mainly written, essay based work, my ambition to be great and my passion for the work needs a lot more nurturing. Despite that realisation it still felt like a satisfaction in me was missing, I wanted to reach above and beyond and despite applying to schools in the UK and getting into one, I felt like I was lying to myself that this is me giving my all, this is the path I was meant to take and not just do well in but excel, I couldn’t forgive myself for not reaching for gold.

NYU could give me a part of what I wanted but not everything I needed, however… Juilliard can.

When my heart was set on NYU, Juilliard was a school I looked at but didn’t think someone in my position could ever even dream of going, but I looked into the school anyway and it was everything I could wish for, a school that preaches excellence, that is just as respected as the conservatoire training in the UK, with its small cohort the training is extremely personalised and detailed in one of the most creative hubs in New York City.

I did my prescreen audition in November and fortunately got recalled to go in person and audition at the school.

It’s January, and I’m going to New York City as well as traveling solo overseas for the first time ever.

The audition was split into three rounds, with the day starting with 150 applicants and by the end of the day callbacks there was 10 of us.

A month later I then got the news that I had gotten through to Callback weekend! A four day audition process, the final round.

I met the most amazing, talented individuals and got to soak up every piece of wisdom the faculty gave us, we auditioned, did classes and got to speak to current students; I left that experience in awe of what had just happened.

I fly back to London and the day after I land I get a call in the middle of King’s Cross station, to tell me that I have been offered a place in Group 59 of the Drama Division at Juilliard!

I decided to give everything I can to go to this school and one thing I cannot let stop me is money.

Juilliard's tuition for their program is $55,000 on top of that living in New York would cost around $30,000 a year. I am beyond grateful to have received a scholarship to pay for my tuition, however living expenses is still a big sum to reach!

as much as I work and save it won’t be enough for me to attend. That is why I need your help!!

My current goal is to fundraise £30,000 this money would be put towards my living costs.

I will be eternally grateful to whoever puts in the time to donate, anything you can provide is greatly appreciated, I will continue to bring you all along with me on the journey as I head to the school of my dreams.

It is beyond words how hard I will work for this.

Thank you for joining me on this journey!!