MMHMF Scholarship Recipient

LAUREN WHITAKER
2024 Alyssa Joy Stith Scholarship

Emerson College

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Lauren is a graduate of Thomas Dale High School where she attained a 3.7 GPA. She is attending Emerson College in Boston MA. She is receiving the Alyssa Joy Stith scholarship given by her family in her memory. Lauren plans to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)) degree, with a major in the performing arts. Her high school activities included: the school’s theatre productions as an actor, stage manager and costume lead (2021-24); member and project leader of BAP (Black Appreciation Project), (2021-24); member of- Knightngales and Knightscene, (Summers 2022-2024); Girls And Mixed Show Choir; the Thespians Troupe 924, Secretary (Summer 2023—24); selected to participate in the Chesterfield All-County Chorus, ( 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023). In the community, Lauren participated in the Feeding America Program by distributing food (2023); and she distributed food as a volunteer with the Community Transformers, an organization that addresses health gaps in communities with limited access to quality healthcare (2023).

Lauren’s interest in theatre is long-standing. In her essay recalls that the first play she ever saw was when the Richmond Shakespeare Company performed at her elementary school. She vividly remembers how much she longed to be on that stage! As she saw more plays over the years, she was keenly aware that there were no people of color on the stage. She decided to join the Richmond Community Theatre Company (SPARC) where she learned a lot about theatre, about performing and about herself! Her time with the Company was very beneficial to Lauren’s growth and development in the field it seems. She was intuitive enough to look inward, to take advantage of the opportunity that SPARC presented, to look at her strengths and weaknesses and build on them to gain useful knowledge in a field that she has always loved! What stood out in her essay is her understanding that she has to continue to work hard, to keep learning and developing her talent.