Todd Benson is a Biology major on the pre-med track from Ridgefield, CT. He has been drawing and painting since he was young. What was just a hobby when he was younger became a passion during the later years of high school and into college. Up until this point, he has focused on drawing realism, but he plans to branch out and explore other styles. A lot of his art revolves around themes of history, time, and memory. Outside of art, he is an avid member of UVA Club Running and he works in the Hirsh Lab as a student research assistant. He is currently looking at the effects of isolation on sleep and activity in the common fruit fly. He is grateful to be a part of the arts scholars community and looks forward to learning from and collaborating with peers and faulty who share his passion for art.

Tyler Burkhardt is a guitarist from Chesterfield, VA who started playing at age 13. Soon after, he joined his middle school jazz band, and instantly fell in love with the music and jazz. In 8th grade, he was asked to play for the musical "Rock of Ages", at the local high school, and was given an award for "Outstanding Young Musician". Later, he joined the high school jazz band, show band, and marching band where he would go on to become Show Band Leader as well as Drum Major. In his senior year of high school, he was selected as the 1st char All-VA Jazz Ensemble guitarist, and he performed with Wycliffe Gordon at the Homestead. He spent a lot of time making his own music, gigging around Richmond, and looking for new opportunities in music. At UVA, he is involved in the Jazz Ensemble, as well as the Jazz Chamber groups, and he enjoys playing at venues around Charlottesville. Besides playing guitar, he enjoys a healthy dose of tennis, computers, and retro gaming.

Becca Davis is an English Major and Drama Minor from Bristow, Virginia. As a child, she loved writing plays and stories with her older sister and friends. In high school, she started taking theater classes and performing in school plays. During her sophomore year, she discovered her love of Shakespeare when playing Tom Snout in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. After that, her love of classical theater only grew. She began studying English and Drama in college while also participating in Shakespeare on the Lawn, in which she first played Kent in a production of King Lear over Zoom her first year. Becca has since participate in several SotL projects large and small as an actor, assistant director, and dramaturg, and hopes to continue expanding her involvement until she graduates. She also participated as an actor in the New Works Festival in Spring 2021 which consisted of Covid-conscious audio dramas rather than stage shows. She maintains a deep appreciation for this festival and its encouragement of interdisciplinary collaboration between students and the broader Charlottesville community. In Spring 2022 she was the secretary for the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union; this position required her to write and perform weekly comedic monologues in lieu of delivering the minutes from the previous meeting. Becca is interested in writing plays, stand-up comedy, sketches, and short stories that fall in the intersection of the intellectual and the accessible. Her writing tends to include everything from classical allusions to eye roll-worthy puns to bawdy humor, or even all at the same time. She is thrilled to be a Miller Arts Scholar to join a community of passionate and talented artists with whom she can collaborate and learn.

Jalia Dillard, from southern Virginia, is an interdisciplinary major with concentrations in Arts Administration, Marketing, and Studio art. Growing up, she loved everything creative, from making decorations, and drawing/painting, to making collages and styling clothes. For her major, she is required to create and explore a thesis question, with research or experimental element, for which she chose to explore color theory. Her question, how artists and designers incorporate the color theory in their showcases and how it conveys their message, requires her to use Studio Art and Marketing disciplines to interpret the uses and meanings of color. While Arts Administration will be used for the experimental element to which she hopes to host a fashion show which incorporates color theory in an effort to convey a message. Jalia is grateful that she was given this opportunity and she is honored to be a Millers Arts Scholar.

Elise Ebert grew up in Fairfax County, Virginia. She joined choir at age four and has been singing ever since. Choir quickly turned into a passion for opera, which she continues to study under Pamela Beasley at the University of Virginia. In high school, she was involved with her school choir, as well as Virginia All-State, six years of All-District choir, and VMEA Senior Honors Choir. Outside of school, she participated in many operas and operettas, some of her favorites being an abridged version of The Magic Flute (Pamina), H.M.S. Pinafore (Josephine), and Hansel and Gretl (Sandman/Dew Fairy). Elise also loves acting and dance and was a member of her high school’s Dance Team and theatre department. At UVA, Elise is involved with University Singers, First Year Players, Student Council Arts Committee, and recently joined UVA’s premiere all-gender a cappella group, the New Dominions. She is thrilled to be a member of the Miller Arts Scholars and is eager to expand her passion for music alongside these incredible artists.

Lily Franks has lived all their life in New York City, and has been writing poetry since they were seven. Lily is interested in teaching poetry to kids, trans-poetics, revolutionary art, and the poetics of water. Lily also dabbles in comics, playwriting, theatre-making, and the occasional short story. Their favorite band at the moment is NYC-based Pinc Louds; and some of their favorite writers include Sappho, Catullus, Anne Carson, Susan Sontag, Pablo Neruda, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs.

Cecilia Huang （She, they） is a drama major focusing on acting and theater technology. Growing up experiencing different cultural and social backgrounds, she gets a unique understanding of performance, universal aspects of human emotions, and the importance of arts as a revolution. Theatre had been an indispensable aspect of her life as she spent every weekend of her childhood in theaters and cinemas watching different kinds of performances. Starting in the first year of high school, she dedicated her full passion to the stage, participating in students' plays and community plays. She became the leader of her high school drama club in the last two years of high school and wrote her play in the background of their school life. Moving into college, she learned theatre at a more in-depth level through studying and working in different areas of theater. In her study-abroad school year in Shanghai, she worked part-time as an ASMs in the immersive theatre Sleep No More produced by the international wing of Punchdrunk Company. In her second year as an on-grounds drama major, she developed special interests in theatre scenic technology and worked at the drama department scene shop as a shop assistant starting Spring 2022. She continues to actively participate in acting rules as she declared the drama major and her first rule on-grounds is Charlie in Dinner With The Devil in the 2022 New Works Festival. As a conscious student and artist, Cecilia executes performing arts as a powerful non-violent tool to speak for those unheard, seek justice in inequality, and present subtle empathy among human beings.

Emily Hunter is from Falls Church, Virginia, and started playing the flute at age 10. Emily plans on double majoring in cognitive science and music on a pre-med track. She was a National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Youth Fellow, where she was mentored by NSO members and performed on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage with a chamber ensemble. Also, as a member of American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (AYPO) she had the opportunity to perform as principal flute and also was a member of a chamber quintet. Emily placed in a variety of music competitions that included the Washington National Youth Music, Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association, Fairfax County Band Directors Association, and she was a finalist in the Flute Society of Washington. She placed in All District and State Virginia bands and attended the Governor's School for Visual and Performing Arts. At UVA, she is involved in the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra and is under direction of her private instructor, Professor Kelly Sulick. Emily is honored to be part of the Miller Arts Scholars program and is excited to work with other students who are also passionate about music!

Heeran Karim is a Pre-Med double majoring in Studio Art and Human Biology from Sterling, Virginia. She learned a variety of art styles at a very young age from watching endless hours of YouTube videos and constantly experimenting. Her passion in art began with painting, crafting with duct tape, sculpting with polymer clay, and drawing cartoons with her treasured Prismacolors. She has lived by being “artistically spontaneous” to consistently learn new styles of art. Through her high school yearbook program, she became Editor and Chief, designing yearbook spreads, photographing, writing stories, and video editing. From this experience, she developed the idea of a literary magazine for the Echols Scholars Program, spreading her artistic abilities into her journalistic interests. She further joined Cavalier Daily Graphics at UVA, learning to digitally draw, and she extended this newfound skill to create scientific graphics for her Neuroscience Lab. Lastly, she channeled her love for drawing and educating herself on new forms of art by taking Lithography and Relief, eventually declaring studio art with a concentration in printmaking as her major. In her journey of becoming a doctor, she hopes to blend her passion for medicine and art by way of augmenting medical illustrations to capture the detailed and hands-on nature of medicine for improved instruction. Heeran is honored to be a part of the Miller Arts Scholars Program and is eager to work with faculty and students who share her artistic endeavors.

Hi, I'm Anne. I make sound, movement, and moving image work. Recently, I've worked on films for Kevin Jerome Everson, The Weeksville Heritage Center, and The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Spaces. Outside of filmmaking, I helped organize a film festival for MoRUS and served as a composer, then operations assistant, for Wildflower Composers Festival, a program for gender-marginalized composers.

Currently, I'm an assistant sound engineer at Occii in Amsterdam and CafeOTO in London. I'm also assisting on archival projects with the Daphne Oram collections. 

I like to dance, walk, listen, and have fun.

Hyebin Lee was born in Korea but moved to India at age 7. She stayed there until she moved to the U.S. at age 13. She has lived in Northern Virginia ever since and came to UVA interested in pursuing medical school. She had always loved taking videos and pictures to document the intricacies found in memories and the stories that come with them. Over time, she pressed deeper into her inevitably growing passion for film and realized that she would come to regret not pursuing it. She is now double majoring in Biology and Studio Art with a New media/Cinematography concentration in hopes of fully pursuing filmmaking in the future. Her dream would be to contribute to the production of documentaries based on true stories. At UVA, she is involved in Grace Christian Fellowship and serves different communities through her worship. She currently has a YouTube channel that is her main outlet for creatively sharing her college life.

Cassie Lipton grew up in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and started playing flute at the age of 11. She has been heavily involved in music ever since. In high school, she was a member of the wind ensemble, the marching band, and the jazz ensemble (for which she also learned tenor saxophone). In marching band, she was Flute Section Leader her junior year and Hornline Captain her senior year. She participated in the Central All-District Band for three years, including as principal chair her senior year. During that year she was also selected to participate in the North Carolina All-State Band. Cassie participated in the North Carolina Youth Wind Ensemble for the 2019 and 2020 touring seasons as one of three rotating principal chairs. She was also a finalist and 3rd place winner for the South Carolina Flute Society Senior Artist competition her sophomore year in high school. At UVA, Cassie studies flute under Kelly Sulick. She is currently a member of the Cavalier Marching Band, the Charlottesville Symphony, and a jazz chamber ensemble. Cassie is excited to be a member of the Miller Arts Scholars program and to further her knowledge and experience in music.

From Richmond, VA, Talia found her home within the arts at a young age, beginning piano lessons when she was six and joining the Virginia Choristers Children’s choir at nine. During her nine subsequent years with the Choristers, Talia toured internationally and performed in distinguished venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and The White House, and eventually became founder of the ensemble's advanced Chamber choir. In middle school, she began performing in local musicals and taking private voice lessons, which she continued through high school. Talia then attended the Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts as a voice major where she served as Vice President of the school’s Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter, performed in and served as musical director for a number of musicals, and in her senior year won the National School Choral Award. Since graduating, Talia joined the Creative Team for The Virtual Theater Company, a volunteer arts organization run by college students across the nation that works to provide youth with artistic opportunities during the pandemic. Despite beginning her first year from home, Talia has already begun to find her place in the artistic community at UVA, having performed in Working (Rose Hoffman) and Singin’ in the Rain (Dora Bailey) with First Year Players and joining University Singers in her first semester. She is so excited to continue her artistic journey at UVA as a Miller Arts Scholar.

Emma Reilly is a second-year Echols Scholar majoring in History and English with an intended concentration of Literary Prose or Poetry Writing. She grew up in Sykesville, Maryland, where a passion for reading evolved into a love of writing in all its forms—poetry, prose, scriptwriting, songwriting, and more. Before coming to the University of Virginia, Emma received a National Silver Medal in Science Fiction and fourteen regional Gold and Silver Keys in various categories from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. During her brief time at the University, Emma has been selected to represent UVA at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI), served as FLUX Poetry and Spoken Word’s Outreach Chair, and had her work published in several on-grounds publications. Her writing can also be found at https://egreilly.squarespace.com. Emma is incredibly honored and excited to join the vibrant community of Miller Arts Scholars on-Grounds. 

Collin White grew up in Bristol, Virginia and has been dancing since she was three years old. She danced with Bristol Ballet for fifteen years until coming to the University of Virginia. At Bristol Ballet she performed in various productions and concerts throughout the year and some of her favorite roles include Clara and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, and Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty. She previously attended Nashville Ballet's Summer Intensive Program for two years, as well as the University of South Carolina's Contemporary Dance Program.  While Collin has trained primarily in ballet and contemporary, she also loves hip-hop and lyrical. She is a member of the UVA Rhapsody Ballet Ensemble and intends to minor in dance. Collin is excited to continue her passion for dance at the University of Virginia and is honored to be a Miller Arts Scholar.

Adin Yager is a music producer and artist from Northern Virginia planning on double majoring in music and economics. Adin was raised with music, and composed his first song at the age of two while driving in the mountains of North Carolina. He began taking piano lessons at age five, and after bouncing around from guitar to drums to ukulele, he finally found a home in the digital audio workstation. Through his current lofi project, skyswimming, Adin has worked with producers and labels from around the world and has garnered hundreds of thousands of streams on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music in just over eight months. Adin hopes to continue growing as a musician and producer, and is excited for the collaborative opportunities the Miller Arts Scholars will provide.

Elie Bashkow is a first year music major and musician. He specializes in instrumental performance and recording on violin, mandolin, and guitar as well as live and electronic production, songwriting, and ethnomusicology. Elie grew up surrounded by many types of music and loves exploring where the particular virtues of very different genres can meet and mix to create something interesting and beautiful. After high school, Elie spent a year working as a cook and playing music. During this year, he joined the rock band Orion and the Melted Crayons and spent time studying Cuban jazz in Havana, Cuba. Besides making music, Elie helps run the UVa sustainable fashion startup Arbitrage, engages with social and political issues, and roams the world looking for good food. 
 

Sarah Regan Borucke (Regan) is a native of sunny Tampa, Florida. Regan’s stage career started before kindergarten when she played a banker in a summer day camp production of Mary Poppins. In her youth, Regan was involved in a variety of productions, first as a student actor and later in the community theatre scene. Her favorite roles from that time include Annabel Glick (Lucky Stiff), The Cat in the Hat (Seussical), Lucy Westenra (Dracula), and Nancy Drew (Nancy Drew and Her Biggest Case Ever). Regan wrapped up her high school career interning as an assistant stage manager for the Tampa Reparatory Theatre, and a few weeks later she kicked off her UVA career as a production assistant for the Heritage Theatre Festival. Since her arrival on grounds, Regan has immersed herself in the Arts at UVA as a member of the Student Council Arts Committee, First Year Players and the Drama Arts Board. Regan had the pleasure of playing Lily/Lilith in the Department production of She Kills Monsters, was part of the acting/directing cast of Love and Information in the Fall of 2020 and has also appeared in short films for the UVA Filmmakers Society. A proud resident of Brown College, Regan enjoys indulging in her love of horror as co-chair of Hauntings, Brown’s renowned haunted house charity fundraiser. Regan is honored to be a Miller Arts Scholar, and as a Drama major, she looks forward to expanding her career into writing and directing at UVA and beyond. When (if) she has a little spare time, you’ll find Regan reading high fantasy, making cardboard dragon heads, or re-painting monopoly boards into various fictional universes.

Britney Cheung is a violinist from Hong Kong. Having started the instrument at the age of three, music has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Although she had grown up playing in youth orchestras, she did not truly fall in love with the violin until she entered high school, when she was first introduced to chamber music. Since then, Britney has been determined to spend her summers playing in chamber groups, participating in music festivals such as the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and the Bowdoin International Music Festival. During her senior year in high school, she was accorded the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chamber Music at Deerfield Academy. Britney currently studies violin at UVA with Daniel Sender, is involved in the Charlottesville Symphony and the First Year Players’ Pit Orchestra, and plays in the chamber music seminar. Outside of the practice room, she enjoys conversations about rom-coms, her year of veganism, and Spotify playlists.  Britney is grateful for all the opportunities that music has afforded her and is very excited to be part the Miller Arts Scholars community. 

Sharon is a Studio Art and Computer Science major from Atlanta, GA. She was doodling and drawing before she could even write and spent most of her childhood drawing, painting, and building toys from found objects. Although most of her childhood was spent on creative expression, she didn’t get a chance to fully explore this avenue until she was accidentally placed in an art class in high school. Sharon realized that her passion lay within the walls of this cluttered, colorful classroom and went on to become an officer of the National Arts Honors Society and attend the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program as an art major. Now at UVa, Sharon has been able to explore even more mediums such as photography and sculpture. Although acrylic painting has always been her medium of choice, she has become invested in expanding her creative abilities by experimenting within these classes. She hopes to further her experience and excitement for studio art through her classmates and now through being a Miller Arts Scholar. 

Brenna Courtney grew up in Chantilly, Virginia and is currently pursuing a double major in computer science and English in the College. Her collage series, What kind of idea are you?, which surveys the imagery of her mixed race experience, was recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and exhibited in the Parsons School of Design in 2019. At UVA, she enjoys attending and reading at Flux Poetry & Spoken Word, as well as participating in the group Puzzle Poesis, which, among other goals, investigates how puzzles can give rise to new units of poetic meaning. A few of her favorite writers and artists include Helen Oyeyemi, Ian Cheng, Ted Chiang, and Toko Hosoya. She is honored to be a part of the Miller Arts Program, and grateful for this opportunity to work and grow alongside other Scholars.

Meggie Ferguson grew up in Falls Church, VA. From a young age, she immersed herself in various areas of the arts throughout her community. She started playing the flute in 4th grade; joined her local dance company, Every Body Dance, in 5th grade; started acting in musicals and plays in middle school; was a member of her high school Wind Ensemble and Chamber Choir; and has taken flute and vocal lessons throughout middle and high school. Once she got to high school, she became more involved in her drama department, where she was able to combine her passion for singing, acting, dancing, and playing the flute. Some of her favorite high school productions include Chicago (Roxie Hart), Spamalot (Angel), and Metamorphoses (Narrator). In her first year, she was cast in First Year Players’ productions of The Music Man (Mrs. Paroo) and Kiss Me, Kate. She also joined the Virginia Belles, UVA’s oldest all-female a cappella group. She is constantly looking for opportunities to hone and express her multidisciplinary artistic skills and to become a stronger ensemble member, so she is extremely grateful to be able to work with other passionate artists through Miller Arts Scholars. 

Chris Fox grew up in McLean, Virginia and began playing cello when he was nine years old. Before coming to the University, Chris was active in his high school’s orchestra, chamber ensemble, and theatre pit orchestra. In addition, he participated in the Arlington Philharmonic Youth Chamber Program, McLean Youth Orchestra, Senior Regional Orchestra, and Virginia All-State Orchestra. At UVA, Chris is continuing to pursue his passion for cello by majoring in Music, in addition to Commerce. Since his first year, he has become a member of The Charlottesville Symphony, various chamber groups, and UVA’s Baroque Ensemble. Chris’s involvement with music at UVA has also given him the opportunity to play with the Trans Siberian Orchestra at John Paul Jones Arena, perform for church services at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and participate in the Music Department’s annual Messiah Sing-In. Chris is enthusiastic about becoming a Miller Arts Scholar and is excited to continue improving his cello abilities and connect with peers and faculty.

Samuel Gerardi has been enamored with music ever since his first Wiggles concert at age 2. Born in Arlington, Virginia, he began learning piano in kindergarten, by which point his family was already stationed overseas. Living in countries with far different musical culture than America like Bangladesh impacted and invigorated Sam’s passion for music. As he grew older, Sam finagled his way around several additional instruments, including viola, guitar, harmonica, ukulele, and singing. Throughout his youth, Sam played in regional orchestras, jazz bands, and sang in both musicals and regional choirs. The many environments in which Sam encountered and participated in music would all become vital as he discovered his passion for composition in high school. He began to compose not only for himself, but for various student films, which went to local and national festivals, such as the All American High School Film Festival. At UVA, Sam continues to be immersed in music, involving himself in the Music Department’s courses for traditional and electronic composition, taking private viola lessons with Professor Ayn Balija, singing with the University Singers, and participating in musical productions by groups on Grounds like Spectrum Theatre. After taking a writing workshop, Sam also discovered a newfound passion for writing poetry, now often writing both for fun and for use in his compositions. He is currently a Music/Biology double major, and spends his free time cooking, fencing, and wishing he could safely do jiu-jitsu again. Sam is honored to be a Miller Arts Scholar, and can’t wait to collaborate with other Scholars and grow as a composer through his time in the program.

Susana Kuhn is a second year student from Staten Island, New York. Her love for theater began when she first discovered the soundtrack for the Broadway Musical, Gypsy and ever since then she has performed in over 15 musical productions, her favorite being a production of The Music Man with First Year Players here at the University of Virginia. Prior to that she participated in several productions through her high school theater program including Pippin, In the Heights, Hairspray, and Chicago as well as other productions within her local theater community such as Mamma Mia and Hair. As an Art’s Scholar, Susana hopes to expand beyond Musicals to get more involved with the political side of theater and work to use the arts as a tool to amplify voices that are typically neglected or ignored. She is so grateful to have been granted this opportunity and is excited to work alongside the other Arts Scholars throughout the rest of her academic career.

Ryan Lee grew up in Vienna, Virginia where she first started playing the viola at the age of 10. In high school, Ryan was active in the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, American Youth Chamber Ensembles, honor ensembles including Senior Regional Orchestra, All-State Orchestra, and her school’s orchestra. She was a finalist in the National Chamber Ensemble Outstanding Young Artist Achievement Award Competition​ and has previously performed at venues including the Kennedy Center and the National Gallery of Art. Ryan has enjoyed being immersed in music activities all throughout high school and continues to play in the Charlottesville Symphony, in various chamber music ensembles, and takes private lessons at UVA. She is extremely looking forward to becoming a Miller Arts Scholar and hopes to continue fostering her love of music and viola.

From Highland Mills, NY, Yena Lee started playing the flute at the age of 9 and attended school in the Monroe-Woodbury School District. In high school, she actively played in the wind ensemble, pit orchestra, jazz ensemble, and various chamber groups. She was the principal chair in the Orange County Music Educators’ Association High School All-County Orchestra and the Hudson Valley Honors Youth Wind Ensemble for four years. Yena was selected to play in the New York State School Music Association’s All-State Symphonic Band at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester in her junior year and principal chair in All-State Symphony Orchestra in her senior year. In addition, she was selected to the NAfME All-Eastern Honor Band in Pittsburgh, PA. In her freshman year, she performed a concerto with the SUNY Orange Community College Orchestra as the winner of their 14th annual Concerto/Aria Contest. She received multiple perfect scores at the highest repertoire level (6) at NYSSMA solo and ensemble festivals and was recognized with the blue ribbon in the New York Flute Club Young Musician’s Contest. The North Bridge Instrument Company granted her a flute with personally hand-made headjoint by a renowned flute manufacturer, Chris McKenna, in her senior year. At home, she enjoys performing at an annual holiday recital series at a local senior residence since sixth grade along with the other students of teacher Merryl Newler. At UVa, Yena plays with the Cavalier Marching Band, the Wind Ensemble, and the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of her private instructor, Professor Kelly Sulick. Tentatively, she plans to double major in chemistry and music. Yena is honored to be a Millar Arts Scholar and is looking forward to being involved in the arts community.

Noelle Lee grew up in Ashburn, VA, and has been involved in the arts all throughout her life, as she learned to play the piano at a young age, was trained in classical ballet for 12 years and performed in full length performances with a local ballet company, and has been immersed in art since childhood. Though she had been taking art classes since middle school, Noelle had never really considered herself an "artist" until college, where she embraced the notion of pursuing art, in addition to STEM and Spanish studies, throughout her time at UVA and beyond. She loves how art allows her to interact with people of diverse backgrounds and life experiences, and how it is a medium through which she can bring meaningful messages, perspective, and creativity to life without even saying a word. It’s not only a passion of hers, but a core piece of who she is. Noelle is honored to be a part of the Miller Arts Scholars program as she aspires to further cultivate her own artistic style and positively impact the local community through art alongside fellow artists at UVA. She is excited to see her passion for art and interests in STEM and Spanish amalgamate into a wide-ranging course of study and an exhilarating future career.

Andrea Tache Lopez is an Environmental Science and Music double major also minoring in French from Charlottesville, Virginia. Andrea first began playing her primary instrument, string bass, at the age of 9, though she had been singing, playing piano, and playing classical guitar since the age of 3. In high school, she was the principal bassist of the Youth Symphony of Central Virginia, was deeply involved in her school’s orchestral and choral ensembles, and received the Robert M. Harman Music Award upon graduation. Andrea shares her love for performance with a love for music education. She was an instructor and interpreter at the International Music Festival co-hosted by FASE and SIFAIS in San José, Costa Rica, which provided string education to underprivileged children and young adults. She also guest conducted members of the Mosaic Honors Children’s Choir for UVA’s Chamber Music Series with Charlottesville Symphony Concertmaster, Professor Daniel Sender. Currently, Andrea is a bassist in the Charlottesville Symphony, sings with University Singers, and studies orchestral and jazz bass privately with Professor Peter Spaar. Andrea looks forward to growing as a musician and deepening her involvement in the arts at UVA and the local community with the Miller Arts Scholars program.

Michael McNulty was born and raised in Greenwich, CT. His love of music started at an early age when he began playing flute in his fourth grade elementary school band and taking guitar lessons in fifth grade. He continued music throughout middle school where he and his best friend started the rock band Visceral Sponge that made its debut by opening for their middle school winter concert. In high school, Michael helped grow his rock band as well as join his high school jazz ensemble and switch from flute to bassoon. He also continued guitar lessons and discovered his true passion for music and jazz guitar in particular. At UVA it didn’t take long for Michael to begin pursuing jazz guitar and discover his newfound love for playing the bassoon. Michael is currently very involved in the UVA music department, playing guitar in the UVA Jazz Ensemble and in a jazz small group as well as playing bassoon in the UVA Rotunda Bassoon Ensemble and the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra. He studies with Mike Rosensky, Ibby Roberts, and John D’earth. Recently, Michael has become very interested in jazz composition and has composed pieces that have been performed by the UVA Jazz Ensemble. Outside of school Visceral Sponge remains active. In terms of academics Michael is planning on double majoring in music and one of the sciences although is currently undecided as to which path in science he will take. Regardless of his path, Michael knows that he wants to take music seriously at UVA, particularly in terms of performance and composition. He is incredibly grateful to be a Miller Arts Scholar and is excited to take advantage of the opportunities this program can provide him.

Julia Nelson was born and raised in Bristol, Connecticut.  Her passion for performing began in third grade when she played an Oompa Loompa in Charlie and the Chocolate factory.  From that point on, she dreamed of becoming an actress, and would frequently perform her own skits and songs for her family.  Throughout high school Julia’s love from Drama grew stronger and stronger.  She performed with her local theatre company GUSCO and in many high school productions including Cinderella (Cinderella), Legally Blonde (Elle Woods) and The Adams Family (Alice Beineke).  Since her arrival at UVA, Julia has immersed herself in the Drama community.  She was cast in First Year Players’ production of The Music Man (Jacey Squires) and Kiss me, Kate (Lilli Vanessi) and is so grateful for this organization.  She was also part of UVA Dept. of Drama’s production of Love and Information and the 2021 New Works Festival. She is so grateful for this opportunity to create alongside so many talented artists.

Lydia Newman was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Her passion for drama began after she watched the 1992 movie-musical Newsies; as an eight-year-old she would parade through her house shouting, “Never fear, Brooklyn is here!” (in a New York accent, of course), and she’s been acting ever since. Throughout high school Lydia performed with local theatre organization STAR, Ltd. and in high school productions including Cry-Baby The Musical (Allison Vernon-Williams), The Drowsy Chaperone (Kitty), and Grease (Sandy). Since arriving at UVA, Lydia has been involved in Harmonious Hoos co-ed a cappella, First Year Players’ production of The Music Man (Marian), and the Drama Arts Board. Lydia is grateful to have been granted the opportunity to join a community of passionate artists through the Miller Arts Scholars program.

Connor Noble is a classically-trained cellist and avid electronic music producer double majoring in computer science and music. Growing up overseas and moving frequently, Connor's life experience is defined by his time spent living in Mexico, Russia, China, the Philippines and Greece. Having intimately experienced myriad cultures around the world, he now draws on such experiences to bring new and interesting perspectives to his work. Connor began playing the cello at the age of seven and has since accrued extensive instruction through orchestral participation and private tutorage. He simultaneously enjoys producing music through both composition and electronic music production, having subsequently published his work on major streaming platforms. Music has always been a close personal companion for Connor first as a consumer, then a player, and finally a creator. He now is increasingly involved with the musical space here at UVA through organisations such as Radio Music Society. Connor is honoured to be a Miller Arts Scholar and is excited by all the opportunities for growth and collaboration that lie ahead.

Ellis Nolan is a musician from Northern Virginia. He started playing guitar at a young age, but quickly took on other instruments as well, such as the trombone, bass guitar and drums. Since then he has performed with various groups playing all kinds of music, everything from salsa to rap song parodies on ukulele. For a short time he was also a music teacher at a local music school. More recently, he has played with various groups in Charlottesville, including two of the University Jazz Combos, as well as his own jazz group back at home. Furthermore, Ellis has produced and released multiple albums on BandCamp and his YouTube channel, usually accompanied by original animations or art. He has also produced and played guitar for various Northern Virginia artists and bands. Ellis is always eager to broaden his musical and artistic horizons, and hopes being part of the Miller Arts Scholars program will help him on that journey.

Gabrielle Richardson is from Norfolk, Virginia, a place where she has been lucky enough to enjoy a rich arts community for as long as she can remember. At age three, her parents saw her great affinity to musical and kinesthetic engagements and enrolled her in a ballet program. Throughout her schooling, Gabrielle attended Ballet Virginia International’s pre-professional ballet program, with some Horton Modern training, performing in their Nutcracker productions, various story ballets such as ​The Sleeping Beauty and The Twelve Dancing Princesses. ​In high school, Gabrielle attended the Governor’s School for the Arts, as a ballet major. While at the Governor’s School, she performed in the Winter and Spring productions which included original faculty works and story ballets such as​ La Bayadere​ and excerpts of ​Coppelia​; and in partnership with the Virginia Arts Festival, performed in Richmond Ballet’s ​The Nutcracker ​and alongside the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in ​Swan Lake. ​At the Governor’s School she continued a mixed repertoire of ballet techniques as well as an immersion in several modern codifications; Horton, Graham, Hawkins, and Taylor. She has participated in summer intensives with City Dance Conservatory, Richmond Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem and Paul Taylor Dance Company, as well as performing in the Regional and National High School Dance Festivals.  At UVA, Gabrielle has begun to take courses towards the dance minor program and has performed in the Fall Concert. Gabrielle hopes to continue to be engaged in various dance techniques and modes of artistic thinking and is very grateful for the honor of becoming a Miller Arts Scholar and part of the UVA Arts community.

Olivia Shepard is a 2D/digital artist. She is from Woodbridge, Virginia and is a Media Studies and Studio Art (New Media Concentration) major. Art has always been an important part of Olivia’s identity and life. Since she was young, she’s been very inspired by cartoon tv shows and their characters. This led to her passion for drawing/storytelling and is how she knew she wanted to be an illustrator/artist. Growing up, Olivia didn’t have much access to a formal art education, as she was in a military family and moved around a lot. However, Olivia did research and practiced art in her free time to better her talents. Now that Olivia is in college, she is taking full advantage of the opportunities being provided to her by the university to grow as an illustrator and artist. Olivia’s goals for the future are to draw/write/publish her own graphic story. She also wishes to have a successful art instagram account and Redubble/Etsy shop. In her free time, Olivia enjoys drawing/writing, watching cartoons, and playing the Sims. Olivia is very excited to grow as an artist through the Miller Arts Scholar program and to see where the program will take her in her academic and personal growth.

Max “Tank” Tankersley played his first role in the second grade as a Groundling, so you could say he started from the bottom, now he’s here. That first performance as one of Shakespeare’s adoring fans turned Max into one himself, as he spent his childhood summers acting in Shakespeare plays in his hometown of Arlington, Virginia. He developed a passion for directing as well, eventually becoming co-director of those summer productions with Educational Theatre Company. Max continued to chase the Shakespearean dream at the Folger Shakespeare Festival in Washington D.C., playing Kate (Taming of the Shrew), Nick Bottom (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Macbeth (Macbeth). Upon arriving at UVA, Max immediately got involved with Shakespeare on the Lawn, playing Oliver and Sir Oliver Martext (As You Like It), as well as Dumain and Forester (Love’s Labour’s Lost). Max has since directed in the UVA Drama Department through the New Works Festival (FUNeral, Born Under a Single Light), in the Charlottesville community (Steps by Auntais Faulkner), and Shakespeare on the Lawn (Bardic Inspiration). He has served as Social Chair, Publicity Officer, President, and Director for Shakespeare on the Lawn, as an Artistic Director for Virginia Players, and currently serves as President of Miller Arts Scholars. Max is majoring in Drama and Psychology and insists that he is simply studying how to get into another person’s head in two different departments. Current projects include writing his thesis in Psychology and directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Shakespeare on the Lawn.

Stephanie DeHart is a visual artist from Falls Church, Virginia. The arts have always played a big role in her life. She has practiced ballet seriously since she was four years old. Growing up, she was always drawing, and used to catalogue her experiences by drawing daily in various sketchbooks. Visual art has been her mechanism for understanding the natural world, and she constantly seeks to find connections between her two majors, Environmental Science and Studio Art. Living in Oslo, Norway for three years in high school also fostered this interest. At UVA now, she’s starting to make art that explores lived experiences and the emotional psyche. Stephanie is a member of the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, and she’s really interested in various forms political art can take and how it’s used in social movements and organizing. She also loves working with children and participates in Early Visions at UVA. Stephanie is engaging more and more with the greater Charlottesville community, and her work was recently exhibited at the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative’s show, Ridged: An Exhibition of Local LGBTQ+ Artists.

Imani Edwards of Fairfax, Virginia, officially began her musical journey at the age of five. Having been surrounded by music for as long as she could remember, it was no surprise that seeing her neighbor with a violin sparked her curiosity. Eventually her parents relented and signed her up for lessons with a phenomenal teacher who happened to live on the same street. Over the years she has experimented with the double bass, piano, and currently, the viola, but the violin will always have a special place in her heart. Before attending UVA, Imani had been a member of the DC Youth Orchestra for almost five years; highlight performances include the Chilean Presidential Palace and the International Development Bank under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. She also had the pleasure of taking part in the first two seasons of Carnegie Hall’s NYO2, in addition to attending other music festivals such as Credo Oberlin and the Philadelphia International Music Festival. As the daughter of a hospice social worker, Imani has seen firsthand how important (and rewarding) it is to use these skills she has developed to give back to others. At UVA, she has continued playing the violin as a member of the Charlottesville Symphony, in addition to taking up the viola to play in a piano quintet. Imani is incredibly grateful for the many opportunities, most recently the chance to become a Miller Arts Scholar, that she has been afforded to grow both as a musician and a person. She looks forward to taking advantage of everything this program has to offer, and cannot wait to see where this experience takes her.

Avery Erskine is an English major and Drama minor from Arlington, Virginia. Although she initially fell in love with the stage through dance, she ultimately found her theatrical calling in drama. Avery studied acting from middle school through high school while filling her extracurricular availability with intense hours of ballet training at the Washington School of Ballet. Between acting and dance, she has performed in spaces as intimate as a black box theater and as resplendent as the Kennedy Center Opera House. In her sophomore year of high school, Avery decided to end her dance training and make drama her primary extracurricular, having fallen in love with the storytelling capabilities of the medium. She acted in multiple plays in her final years of high school and studied IB Theatre Higher Level, establishing in her the perspective that drama can be as academic as it is creative. At UVA, Avery’s interest in drama has expanded to include writing, directing, and filmmaking, which she plans to pursue even more avidly in her final two years at the University. She is involved in many organizations on Grounds, including Virginia Players and Shakespeare on the Lawn, and has acted in many plays and short films during her time as a UVA student. Avery is honored to be a member of the Miller Arts Scholar Program, and she excitedly awaits all her future theatrical endeavors, both at UVA and after graduation. 

Rainah was born in Australia, grew up in England, attended a conservatory in New York, and is now pursuing a degree in Virginia. To elaborate: dancing since the age of three, Rainah has tapped, turned, and kicked her way across stages, cruise ships and venues in Europe. She currently has an American accent (due to her American family) however will slip into British phrases and annunciations here and there (as would happen when you have spent sixteen years of your life in Britain). She now divides her time between three jobs, school, creating things, and watching a lot of British television programs. Rainah completed the Integrated Program at AMDA NY, studying singing, acting, and dance in 2017 and moved to Virginia to pursue a degree in 2018. After studying at PVCC and leading the PVCC Dance Club for 2 semesters, she applied to transfer to UVA as a Second year, and got in! After taking Screenwriting, Directing 1, and acting in the 2020 New Works Festival, Rainah became intrigued by the opportunities offered by the UVA Drama Department and looks forward to becoming more involved. She won the written category of Comedy Knight 2020, is part of University Vocal Jazz, has been a part of poetry and fiction workshops, and she is an American Sign Language student. She aspires to collaborate with Deaf artists in the future. 

Emma Hitchcock grew up in Philadelphia before moving to Charlottesville for her teenage years. She has always been immersed in the arts and was raised in a family of musical intellectuals. Emma was a three sport athlete in high school, but during any free moment you would find her in the art building bringing her methodic creativity from the court to the canvas. She is also an advocate for social justice issues in the Charlottesville community and is the co-founder of Art for the Heart, a non-profit which seeks to connect the homeless community with the greater Charlottesville community through art. Art for the Heart, which was awarded a Tom Tom Social Innovation Prize, gave her the chance to join the Innovation Lab at the Darden School, where she learned how to design logos, websites, and marketing strategies for humanitarian causes. This led to an interest in graphic design which she continues to foster as a part of the graphics team for the Cavalier Daily. A Studio Art and Anthropology major, Emma hopes to continue combining her passion for social justice and art throughout her college career and beyond.

Abreale was born and raised in Bethesda, Maryland. Growing up, she went to every Smitsonian museum with her mother. This fostered an appreciation for a multitude of art forms from an early age. Though there was an appreciation for art, she viewed her art classes as just a school requirement. by the time she reached her junior year of highschool, she began to take art more seriously. She recognized how much joy she got from sketching and painting in her free time, and began to center her education around art. After her first year of college, she decided to make Studio Art one of her majors. Primarily working with paint, Abreale seeks to display the experience of Blackness.  This has given her the platform to create an interdisciplinary major in Studio Art and African American Studies. Abreale is deeply appreciative of her acceptance into the Miller Arts Scholars Program. She plans to use these privileges to expand her understanding of the world around her in relation to race, as well as develop her identity as an artist.

Maya Kneebone Kim is a Sociology and Studio Art double major from San Diego, CA. She spent most of her life in New Hampshire, the place she would say she is really from. She always was interested in art, but sophomore year of high school was when she took the drawing class that made her realize how art could be a way to process the world around her. High school was when she was introduced to curation through the Lamont Art Gallery and began writing about art for the exhibits “Representing Feminism(s)” and “Queer Kids.” Her first work was also shown in this gallery as a high school student. Now, she mainly focuses on printmaking and painting as well as museum work with the Fralin Museum of Art as a docent. In her free time, she dedicates a lot of her time to playing music from electric bass to classical bassoon. Much of her work stems from her experiences as they were influenced by a childhood in New Hampshire and followed her to Singapore, Virginia, and California. Her interests in Sociology and Studio Art stem from the same place of curiosity about the world and the systems that constitute our daily experience. She hopes that one day she can use her interests to create a world of art that is more accessible and welcoming to all people.

Cordelaine Klyne, from Marshall, Virginia, fell irrevocably in love with dance at three years old in her first movement class. She trained at Virginia Civic Ballet in ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theatre for fifteen years, pointe for nine years, and tap for seven years, with five years of partnering experience. Cordelaine performed lead roles and choreographed for two full-length ballets, two jazz showcases, multiple competitions, and various dance festivals and volunteer events. She was voted by her peers to be captain of the competition team and senior ballet company. A student-teacher at VCB, who also started a dance studio in her home, Cordelaine developed curriculum, organized, and offered two annual in-house performances. She is certified through Grade VII of the Cecchetti Council of America Syllabus and participated in intensives with Richmond Ballet, Cecchetti Conference, Steps, and VCB. At UVA, she is involved with Rhapsody Ballet Ensemble as well as the Dance Department’s Fall and Spring Dance Concerts.

Joyce Lee, from Reston, Virginia, first began piano lessons at the age of 11. She has since discovered a passion for learning and performing classical music, which has increased her appreciation for the arts as well as instilled in her the values of hard work and perseverance.  In addition to receiving awards at the local and regional level, she was the 2016 Virginia Music Teacher Association State Champion in the Senior Division. She was also invited to perform at the Virginia State Conference and the Young Artist Musicale concert at George Mason University, and attended the VA Residential Governor’s School for the Visual and Performing Arts in 2017. She has greatly enjoyed instructing group piano lessons at a local studio in the past, and hopes to incorporate teaching music into her future as well. Here at UVA, she is a student of John Mayhood and volunteers with a program called Harmonies for Healing through Madison House, in which she plays for the patients at the Transitional Care Hospital.  Joyce feels extremely grateful and honored to be welcomed as a Miller Arts Scholar, and is looking forward to challenging her musical potential through broadening her perspective and understanding of the arts.

Kyara Måhlén was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Her interest in drama began at the dinner table where most of her time was spent acting out the bizarre stories of a day in the life of a first grader, than actually eating. She performed in her first play at her small progressive NYC school and fell in love with the experiecne. Since then she has done musicals and plays all throughout middle school and high school, as well as costume designed, sound designed, stage managed, and written a few plays. To her it does not matter which capacity she is involved, she is simply mesmerized by all aspects to creating a great production. Kyara solidified that she wanted a career in the industry after her time as a company member with the Harlem School of the Arts Theatre Alliance during her last few years of High School. Besides drama and film, she also loves to dance. She has danced pre-professionally with a Russian Ballet company as well as choreographed for her school benefit dance concert, Dancer’s Responding to AIDS for 5 years in a row. Kyara is looking forward to her experience as a Miller Arts Scholar and immerse herself further in the field.

Siobhan McPherson is a second year student of the class of 2022 from Long Island, New York. Her family raised her to value the arts and her creative pursuits were encouraged from a young age; she flourished in the visual arts, musical theater, choir, orchestra, and creative writing in her hometown’s small high school. At UVA, she has found her place in a loving family of thespians through First Year Players and was involved with their Fall 2019 production of ​Into the Woods​. Additionally, she has funneled her passion for all things loud, proud, and outrageous by performing with Voyeuristic Intention, UVA’s shadowcast for the Rocky Horror Picture Show. She rarely spends a second away from music, and sings constantly; you can usually catch her crooning as she tosses salads on the corner at Roots. She also expresses her love of music by DJing for WXTJ each week. In high school, she channeled her passion for writing through her school newspaper, but has felt an unprecedented freedom to pursue creative writing here at UVA. Since arriving here, she has felt the liberty to pursue poetry writing as a career, along with her other academic pursuits of environmental science and art history. She hopes to double major in environmental science and the area program for poetry writing. Siobhan’s poetry is invested in the idea that the waking world is often stranger than our dreams are. Her writing is often surreal, but rather than deriving these images from dreams or imagination, they are mostly based on the everyday. She is intensely devoted to trying to describe a peculiar sense of alienation we all feel from time to time. In other words, her writing is interested in the bounds of the self and how these borders are both reinforced and eroded by the strange paradox of isolation and social connection we find ourselves in today. Siobhan is grateful to have become a member of the Miller Arts community and is excited to expand upon her work with this encouragement and the newfound access to their resources.

The son of immigrants and heir to a line of Spanish farmer-poets, Reza Manuel Mirzaiee was born in the northwest coast of Spain to an Iranian father and a Spaniard mother. He grew up travelling back and forth between Spain and Virginia for the first twelve years of his life, inheriting his mother’s tactful wit and his father’s relentless determination; from a young age he fell in love with people and the stories they brought along with them. A multidisciplinary artist, Reza began drawing as long as he can remember. He won a regional Scholastic Art award in 2017 for a portrait of his military-bound brother, and works part-time as an animator and graphic design specialist for New Point Strategies, an HR consulting firm. He’s also currently performing as a guitarist and singer in his band Live Wire on weekends, and has been cast in a number of theatre productions, including  First Year Player’s fall 2018 production of Into the Woods, and more recently the UVA Drama Department’s Spring 2020 production of Once Upon A Mattress. He’s currently the UVA Student Game Developers Club’s Internal Relations officer, where he directed the indie top-down shooter Flint Westwood, and is planning on writing and directing an original role-playing Game in 2020. Reza hopes to double major in Computer Science and the Area Program for Literary Prose under the English Department. He’s looking forward to forming part of the Miller Arts Scholars program, and excited about where the arts will take him next!

Claire Murphy is a Studio Art and English major from Richmond, Virginia. While she has always been peripherally engaged in the arts, given that much of her extended family either paints or does photography, she didn’t realize her passion for filmmaking until her gap year between high school and college. Once she realized her love for film, she tried to learn as much as she could in a relatively short period of time. She taught herself a bit through reading lots of books on filmmaking techniques and watching dozens of movies, but her creative journey really picked up when she got to UVA. She has enjoyed her cinematography classes as a chance to learn from her peers and apply some of the screenwriting and directing techniques she learned about during her gap year. Claire has been involved in Filmmaker’s Society and LabShorts and tries to help out on as many shoots as she can- she loves being on set. Claire looks forward to being a Miller Arts Scholar and getting more involved in arts on grounds.

Libbie began dancing at age 3 in a local studio in Mechanicsville, VA. There she studied ballet, jazz, and tap. Her passion for modern dance began in middle school and continues today. Growing up, she participated in community performances, annual galas and recitals, DanceMakers convention and competition, and local intensives through RADAR and School of Dance Arts. In high school, Libbie joined the Youth Ensemble for Dogwood Dance Project. With them, she performed modern pieces alongside local artists in their yearly show, and also participated at Virginia Dance Symposium, Virginia Dance Festival, and Richmond Dance Festival. She also loves exploring new dance styles and teachers through organizations such as Dogtown Dance Theatre. Since being at UVA, she has been heavily involved in dance on grounds, performing in the Fall and Spring concerts, joining Virginia Dance Company, attending ACDA, and beginning to take classes for her Dance Minor. Libbie is excited to grow as a dancer and an artist at UVA, especially by connecting with other art scholars. She plans to study Special Education and hopes to carry her passion for dance through her career.

Lauren Schmidt is a Chemistry and Music major at the University of Virginia. She grew up in Westport, Connecticut and began playing the violin at age 9. Since then, she has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, and Lincoln Center. In 2018, Lauren was the winner of the Staples High School Concerto Competition and performed Lalo’s ​Symphonie Espagnole ​with the Staples Symphonic Orchestra. In addition, she was the concertmaster of the Norwalk Youth Symphony from 2016-2018 and had the opportunity to tour with the orchestra on two occasions, giving concerts in cities throughout Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Lauren is also an avid chamber musician, having been a violinist in the Ariston String Quartet and the Apollo String Quartet, and is currently the violist in the Jupiter Quartet at UVA. She has participated in the Skidmore String Festival and the Chamber Music Institute. Currently, Lauren is a violinist in the Charlottesville Symphony, performs chamber music on viola, and studies violin with Professor Daniel Sender, the concertmaster of the Charlottesville Symphony. Lauren looks forward to continuing to expand her musical knowledge with the help of the Miller Arts Scholars program.

Wendy Tang grew up in Great Falls, Virginia, where she started playing the flute at the age of 10. In high school, she played in her school's band and orchestra programs, the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras, and in honor ensembles, such as District Band, All-State Band & Orchestra, and Senior Regional Orchestra. She has also performed at the Kennedy Center and with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. Through these experiences, Wendy realized the extent to which music can inspire a community, and she wants to continue to inspire a wider audience through her craft. At UVa, Wendy plays with the Cavalier Marching Band, the UVa Wind Ensemble, the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, and studies flute under Kelly Sulick. She plans to double major in Economics and Computer Science. Wendy is extremely grateful and honored to be a Miller Arts Scholar and hopes to take advantage of this opportunity to expand the influence of the arts by bringing music to those who do not have easy access to it.

Hailing from Pleasantville, New York, Ben Trombetta discovered his love for the performing arts in elementary school, portraying the “Balloon Seller” in a first-grade production of “The Three Little Pigs go to the Fair.” Ever since then, Ben’s passion for music, theatre and dance has grown immensely. Ben has been singing since he was five and began playing the trumpet when he was nine. At Pleasantville High School, he was an active member of concert chorus, band, and jazz band. An avid cross country and track athlete, he also served as the president of Razor’s Edge, an all-male acapella group. Ben was selected to perform in both the New York Area All-State Chorus in Purchase, and the New York All-State Chorus at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. He played numerous roles in his high school musicals, including Robert Martin in The Drowsy Chaperone and Rolf in The Sound of Music. Ben also won an “Outstanding Student Critic Metro Award” for his review of a local high school’s production of Pippin. At UVA, Ben is involved in the music, drama, and dance departments; he studies classical voice in the studio of Pamela Beasley and is a member of the University Singers, Chamber Singers, and First Year Players. Tentatively, he hopes to double major in English and Music and minor in Italian Studies. Ben is extremely grateful to be a Miller Arts Scholar and is excited to be more involved in the arts at UVA.

Berkeley Wilkins of Falls Church, Virginia began taking art classes when he was five. He began participating in theatre productions in Middle and High School. He continued taking art classes in school, participating in the international baccalaureate art program. Berkeley developed a love for sculpture, which became a form of tactile art. He began writing poetry and making art that could be heard or touched. He earned a silver key in 2018 for a poem he wrote about time-travel and neglect. At the university, he became more invested in writing—taking poetry workshops, participating in the poetry and spoken word club, and being nominated for the Gosnell Prize. In the spring of 2019, he also began a social media campaign called Announce Capacity where he posts poems and photographs displaying the artistic capabilities of people with disabilities in an effort to advocate for authentic representation of people with disabilities in the media. He found his artistic calling in writing. Writing allows Berkeley to make space and raise the volume when he was feeling unheard. Berkeley’s mission in poetry is to show the reader what it is like to live with a vision impairment through his voice, form, and movement, something he has not seen in poetry before. His vision portrays his work as an instinctive part of how he navigates the world. Berkeley’s goal is that one day his work can help others find their voice and create more space for other people with disabilities to be included in the arts.

Liza Wimbish is an artist from Richmond, VA. Her work utilizes photography and mixed media practices. Her interest in artmaking began with black and white photography in the darkroom and has expanded from there. She has been making art for about five years and plans on majoring in studio art. She has been recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and the National YoungArts Foundation. Her work has been exhibited nationally in Miami, New York City, Richmond, and other cities across the country. Specifically, her work has been on view at Parsons School of Design, The School of Visual Arts, The Colorado Photographic Arts Center, The Griffin Museum of Photography, and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. Her work deals with exploring her own identity and navigating her role within her family through unconventional self portraiture, documentary style photographs, and materialistic mixed media work.

Liza Wimbish is an artist from Richmond, VA. Her work utilizes photography and mixed media practices. Her interest in artmaking began with black and white photography in the darkroom and has expanded from there. She has been making art for about five years and plans on majoring in studio art. She has been recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and the National YoungArts Foundation. Her work has been exhibited nationally in Miami, New York City, Richmond, and other cities across the country. Specifically, her work has been on view at Parsons School of Design, The School of Visual Arts, The Colorado Photographic Arts Center, The Griffin Museum of Photography, and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. Her work deals with exploring her own identity and navigating her role within her family through unconventional self portraiture, documentary style photographs, and materialistic mixed media work.

Katie grew up in Woodbridge, Virginia and has been dancing since the age of 3. She began at a local studio with ballet and tap classes before making her way into the realm of jazz and contemporary. She studied in the dance concentration of the Center for Fine and Performing Arts program at Colgan High School, training in modern, ballet, and jazz. In the summer of 2017, she was able to further her ballet and modern training as she attended the Virginia Residential Governor’s School for dance. As a member and two-time captain of the Varsity Dance Team, Katie competed at the regional and national levels. Her dance team won multiple first-place titles in jazz and kick and she placed top 5 in the county as a soloist. She was also involved in drama with featured dance roles in the musicals ​Little Shop of Horrors​ and ​Hairspray​ along with an acting role as Sylvia in ​Tribes​. Here at UVA, she has stayed involved in arts on grounds as a member at large of the Virginia Dance Company, the secretary of the Dance Committee, an Arts Grounds Guide, and a dancer in the spring and fall dance concerts. As a public policy major and dance minor, Katie hopes to continue her work in dance through the opportunities of the Miller Arts Scholars program.

Zoe Ziff is from Vienna, Virginia and has been dancing for fourteen years. She was trained in hip hop and jazz while in Rome, Italy, and was introduced to ballet and contemporary when living in Bogota, Colombia. Once in Virginia, Zoe continued to train in ballet and contemporary dance at Virginia Ballet Company and IMPACT Dance Company. For a year she studied tap, modern, jazz, and ballet at Fairfax Academy Dance as well. Zoe participated in the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company summer intensive for three consecutive years and the Batsheva Dance Company summer workshop in 2016. Prior to starting university, Zoe took a gap year where she studied contemporary dance, ballet, and Gaga in the 5-month International Dance Journey Program under the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in Israel. Zoe continues to dance with the University of Virginia’s dance department and is honored to be a part of the Miller Arts Scholars Program.

Karen Zipor, from Ashburn, Virginia, has always been enthralled by the arts: acting in shows throughout high school, dancing on a competitive team, and studying studio art at the Regional Governor's School for the Arts. Since then, Karen has directed and choreographed many high school, college, and community theater productions. She won an NCA Cappies Award for Creativity for choreographing her high school production of Pippin, and most recently, she choreographed Kiss Me, Kate with the First Year Players at UVA. During her first year at UVA, she acted in FYP's production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Edwin Drood) and Into the Woods (Florinda). But most importantly, Karen considers herself to be an interdisciplinary artist, especially as she's a double major in Drama and Computer Science. An intriguing combination, she knows, but the skills of each discipline cross more often than not. In the Drama Department, she's currently working alongside Mona Kasra, the Assistant Professor for Digital Media Design, on a year-long research project experimenting with Virtual Reality. Additionally, Karen did work both onstage and offstage on UVA's production of She Kills Monsters; Karen both performed as Tilly and assisted Mona with the Video Projection Design. Thanks to her lifelong creative passion and technological savviness, Karen is excited and honored to be part of the Miller Arts Scholars program, where research and collaboration are encouraged!

Jakob Cansler, from Newport News, Virginia, first began doing theatre when he was six years old. From then until high school, Jakob took classes with the New York State Theatre Institute. After moving to Virginia, Jakob attended the Woodside High School Magnet School for the Arts in Drama. There, he studied acting and performed in many plays and musicals, including Little Shop of Horrors, The Laramie Project, Pippin, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Jakob finally made the decision to study theatre in university when he attended the Summer Governor’s School for the Performing Arts. Now, at UVa, Jakob is a part of multiple student theatre groups and works with the drama department whenever he can. He has served as lighting designer for both First Year Players and Shakespeare on the Lawn and has performed most recently as Brutus in Shakespeare on the Lawn’s Julius Caesar. Jakob looks forward to furthering his theatrical endeavours in drama at UVa in the future and is honored to be included in the Miller Arts Scholar Program.

Adam Cooper is planning to double major in a politics related field and music. He has been playing cello for the past 11 years and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing his musical endeavors at the University of Virginia. Last year, Adam worked as a volunteer cello instructor in Israel with an organization called Sulamot. He helped mentor at-risk children in the Tel Aviv-Yafo area, and found this experience rewarding and meaningful. Adam is excited to be a member of the Miller Arts Scholars community and hopes that he will find new ways to use his passion for music to create positive change in the world.

Tina Hashemi grew up in Philadelphia and attended high school in McLean, Virginia. She discovered her passion for vocal jazz in her junior year of high school after having trained as a classical singer. In her senior year, she furthered her studies in vocal jazz under Danielle Wertz and was the principal singer for her high school’s big band and jazz combo. At UVA, she has continued to pursue jazz through the jazz chamber groups and the UVA Jazz Ensemble, in addition to performing locally with her jazz quartet. She is the president and a founding member of the University Jazz Singers and continues to study vocal jazz under Stephanie Nakasian and John D’earth. Additionally, Tina performs Persian music and dance through the Persian Cultural Society at UVA. She was also a member of the Flying V’s acapella group, University Singers, and was the Jazz Intern of the McIntire Department of Music for the 2018-2019 academic year. Tina is majoring in Music with a Performance Concentration and is completing courses for the Pre-Med track.

Margaret, from Manassas, Virginia, has been creating art even before she moved from South Korea when she was six years old. While she mainly focuses on painting and computer graphics, she discovered her passion for sculpting when she came to UVA and decided to try something different. Margaret is a Biology and Studio Arts double major, and has been working for National Institute of Health every summer since she was a sophomore in high school. She continues her biology research at UVA. By learning the details and intricacies of biology, she hopes to successfully incorporate her passion for science in her artwork, as all her recent works have involved heavy biological themes. During her free time, she designs logos and posters for various CIOs at UVA.  

Veronica Merril is a renaissance woman. A versatile musician and artist, Veronica has pursued her passion for the arts through the deep study of various disciplines, including music, dance, architecture and theater. Veronica studied classical ballet with the Washington Ballet. Veronica appeared in numerous ballets at the Kennedy Center and the Warner Theater, both in Washington, D.C. She continued to dance at the National Cathedral School (NCS/STA), where she was also a student choreographer. In 2016, Veronica travelled with the NCS Dance Team to China. Veronica has studied classical violin since the 4th grade, studying under the master teacher, Olga Khroulevitch. She is the first prize recipient of the American Fine Arts Festival’s Golden Strings Competition. She has played solo concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and at the DiCapo Opera House in New York City. Veronica has also studied violin at Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar, Germany. Veronica played in her high school orchestra for 4 years. In addition to dance and violin, Veronica sang as a soloist and soprano in 3 D.C based choral groups: the Washington Choral Arts Society Youth Choir, the NCS/STA Chorale and in the NCS/STA Madrigal Singers. She was the president of the Madrigal Singers from 2016-2017. While at NCS, Veronica founded the a cappella group, “Close Encounters,” a group that continues to thrive beyond her 4 years at NCS. Veronica also appeared in numerous theater productions at NCS, most notably appearing as ‘Peggy Sawyer” in the production of “42nd Street.” At UVA, Veronica is an Architectural History and Music Major. She is the current president of University Records, a performance and recording CIO at UVA. In addition, Veronica sings with University Singers and is an executive member of the Arts Grounds Guides Organization. She is a 2018-2019 Tom Tom Founders Festival Fellow. Veronica looks forward to growing as an artist with the Miller Arts Scholar Program at UVA.

Kiana Pilson’s passion for dance arose from her connections to the communities around her. Growing up in a military family, Kiana was often introduced to cultures other than her own. These experiences helped develop her love for dance outside of a traditional European context, as she discovered that dance varied between different communities but could also communicate across cultural and societal barriers. In 2016, she began to pursue dance as a means of communication while co-directing a miniseries of short films, featuring choreography from various dance styles. This miniseries focused on social issues that teenagers from Kiana’s community struggled with, such as mental health and bullying, and strove to promote discussion around the factors impacting the well-being of local youth. At the University of Virginia, Kiana has danced within multiple student organizations and productions including Mahogany Hip-Hop Dance Troupe her first year and Shakespeare on the Lawn’s Romeo and Juliet: A Story of Interracial Love her second year. Kiana has also danced in UVA Drama’s spring dance concerts of 2018 and 2019. As a Miller Arts Scholar, Kiana hopes to further explore the ways in which dance is a cultural, spiritual, and relational experience, using dance as a means of telling the stories of those within and outside of her own communities.

Veronica’s acting career began in first grade, when she was bribed with Oreos to be in a commercial about toothpaste. Go figure, she never contracted a cavity from that whole roll of Oreos, and her tooth health has been impeccable ever since. As a military kid, she continued to pursue school and community theatre opportunities in every one of the 9 places she’s lived. After moving from Boston to Yorktown, Virginia after her sophomore year of high school, Veronica faced the great unknown in conquering her last two years of high school theatre and college auditions. Not to mention, she had just filmed and won 2 episodes as a contestant on the Food Network show “Chopped.” In true Veronica fashion, she made herself right at home, enrolling in the York County School of the Arts (SOA) to concentrate in Theatre and Dance. SOA afforded her the opportunities to pursue student film and ultimately the International Thespian Society. With the help from her acting and voice coach, Mark Bzdick, she qualified for the International Thespian Festival in her individual monologue performance and went on to receive a Superior score from all three adjudicators. Soon thereafter, Veronica joined the ranks of fellow college auditionees in the Virginia Theatre Association and Unifieds college search. Her search led her to pursue drama at UVA, where she now plans to double major in Drama and Marketing, pursuing a career in film acting and/or directing. She knows her major combination is odd, but preaches that marketing will help her learn the business side of showbiz, in which she can practice marketing herself and others in the constantly evolving world of the performing arts. 

Maille-Rose Smith first dove into theatre as an enthusiastic rainbow trout in her kindergarten’s rendition of Pearl: An Underwater Adventure. Darting onstage with her fellow bedazzled fish, ecstatically singing the praises of the ocean monarch, she found herself enamored with that magical experience, and she wanted more! Her next role proved quite the contrast to her aquatic foray: she took to the skies in a flurry of feathers as the mother pigeon in her elementary school’s production of Alice in Wonderland Jr.. Her love for theatre has since grown, as she has had the honor of playing more roles of the human variety. In high school, she acted in mainstage plays and musicals, and one-acts, and was thrilled to play Ma Kirby in Thornton Wilder’s “The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden,” a role which challenged and inspired her. More recently as a UVa student, she has performed in Shakespeare on the Lawn’s Two Gentlemen of Verona, Julius Caesar, a staged reading of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Macbeth; Spectrum Theatre’s A View from the Bridge; the UVa Drama department’s New Works Festival and Music Library Series; the Virginia Players’ Play in a Day; LabShorts films; Unsaid, a short film presented at George Mason University’s Fall Film Showcase; and other film, commercial, and radio projects. She is currently Fundraising Chair for Shakespeare on the Lawn and Community Chair for the Virginia Players. Majoring in Drama and English, Maille-Rose is honored to be included in the Miller Arts Scholar program. She is eager to pursue new, exciting theatre endeavors and grow in her appreciation of art in its dynamic, multifaceted glory!

Isabella Ullmann grew up in Westport, Connecticut, where she acted in local children’s theater, consistently landing non-speaking roles that required unattractive fur suits. After breaking out in not one, but two fevers mid performance, Isabella hung up her costumes and decided drama wasn’t her calling. After a 10 year hiatus, Isabella is shockingly now a drama major, but this time she’s not Templeton’s assistant in Charlotte’s Web; she’s a playwright. Through high school, Isabella fostered her love for writing through managing the school newspaper and attending a variety of creative writing workshops. Although she was mainly interested in short stories, she fell in love with script writing when she took Playwriting I at UVA, in which her professor encouraged her to submit her work to the Kennedy Center’s national playwriting competition. Isabella won the competition at the regional festival, and was a national semi-finalist for the Gary Garrison Playwright award. At UVA, she is on the executive board of Virginia Players, as well as one of the co-founders of Virginia Playwrights, a group dedicated to producing student plays. Currently, Isabella is also expanding her interests to screenwriting, as she is working with UVA’s student film club, Lab Shorts, to direct and produce one of her scripts. 

Lyla Ward, from Arlington, Virginia, grew up in a neighborhood with no other children, and spent most of her youth giving impassioned lip-syncs of Barbra Streisand to her bedroom mirror and putting on elaborate Ziegfeld inspired shows with her Barbies. Her love for the the dramatic followed her through eight years of ballet and tap dance and four years of designing scenic backdrops and costumes for her high school productions. At UVA, she has thrown herself into the student theater community, as a performer, costume designer, and most recently, choreographer. Lyla also spends a lot of her time reading and writing fiction. Her work often focuses on queer women, family, femininity, and gender performance. She hopes to double major in Drama and the Area Program for Literary Prose. Lyla’s great loves include Clarice Lispector, Audre Lorde, drag, disco, Western wear, and Dolly Parton.

Elissa Bardhi and was born in Brooklyn, NY and grew up on Long Island. Throughout her entire life she was addicted to drawing. Her art covered the walls of her family’s Brooklyn apartment. When she started high school she was introduced to one of the most influential teachers of her life. It was due to Mr. Ryan that she was able to reach her full potential and capabilities as an artist. Once she was introduced to oil painting, she never looked back; he taught her everything she knows. As a junior in high school, her painting, udhetim, was accepted to the Long Island’s Best Young Artists exhibition, at the Heckscher Museum of Art. Since then, she has always been interested in the composition of faces and facial expressions; her art was specifically concentrated on the depiction of her family members. It was not until UVA that she strayed from her realism roots and was introduced to abstract art. Here, she has also been exposed to digital media art and has broadened her traditional perspective of art in countless ways. Additionally, she is training to be a Student Docent at the Fralin Museum of Art at UVa. As a Miller Arts Scholar, she hopes to continue to explore all the different forms of art while still hoping to return to her passion of oil portraits one day.

As a performing artist and playwright, Kristen Barrett hopes to focus her interests and create entertaining and enlightening art through the Miller Arts Scholars program. Kristen's desire to entertain stems from her lifelong affinity for musical theatre. Ever since her parents exposed her to Sesame Street and School House Rock reruns as a child, she has loved singing, especially in front of a crowd. At the University, she pursues her passion for musical theatre through singing alto for Hoos in the Stairwell, the only Broadway a cappella group on Grounds. While she enjoys entertaining through musical theatre, Kristen uses playwriting to explore obscure topics and underrepresented life experiences in order to enlighten audiences. For her creative writing, she draws inspiration from a variety of areas including African-American studies, Greco-Roman traditions, the Shakespeare canon, and even biological sciences. In Fall 2016, she directed a staged reading of her unpublished play To Do No Harm. Her play tells the story of a teenage girl, Destiny, who experiences anesthesia awareness. Even though To Do No Harm is a fictional work, the medical jargon and described procedures reflect reality due to Kristen’s research. Additionally, Kristen is passionate about depicting the black experience through theatre. In November 2016, she acted in the second annual Black Monologues, and next school year, she will produce the third annual production. Kristen plans to double major in both Drama and English.

Kate Bollinger, originally from Charlottesville, grew up surrounded by music and art. At an early age she began singing in the car with her dad and on her mother’s children’s music albums and was influenced by her two older brothers, who were constantly playing music in the basement. She began writing songs when she was eight and ever since, songwriting has been her biggest love. When Kate was fourteen, she began releasing original songs on Soundcloud. When she was fifteen, she played her first show, opening for Philadelphia-based band, The Extraordinaires, as well as local band, We Are Star Children, at The Southern Cafe & Music Hall. Since then, she has played many shows at venues such as Magnolia House, Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, The Ante Room and Fine China in Richmond, Virginia. In 2015 she was awarded the Aslan Mosel award for songwriting, and was runner-up in the Tom Tom Founders Festival Songwriter Competition. In 2017, she released her first official EP, “Key West,” with the help of The Extraordinaires as her backing band. Additionally, she released a music video for her song “Ardent.” In high school, Kate began writing poetry on occasion. In 2015, her poem, “gorillas and curb stomping” was featured in the Macrock booklet. It was during her first year at UVa, however, that poetry writing became her second love. She is currently taking poetry writing with Rita Dove and hopes to double major in Media Studies and the Area Program for Poetry Writing.

Bryce is from Tidewater, Virginia, and trained at Virginia Regional Ballet in Williamsburg for nearly all of his dance education prior to university. He first fell in love with dance through classical music, particularly through ballets written by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev such as Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet. This was his introduction to dance in general and, as a result, his early dance training was almost exclusively in ballet. Since he has been at UVa, however, he has spent a lot of time branching out into other dance forms, largely in various styles of modern dance technique, and contemporary ballet. He continues to train in classical ballet with Charlottesville Ballet in addition to dancing at the university. Bryce is very excited to be a part of the Miller Arts Scholars program and to see what new directions it takes his education in dance.

Carolyn Diamond began dancing when she was 8 years old and immediately fell in love with it. She trained at the Pulse Performing Arts Studio in Bedford Hills, NY in ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, and tap. Additionally, she was on the competition team that competed in regional and national competitions along the East Coast and was a part of a performance company that participated in many local benefits. She also participated in Summer Intensives at Broadway Dance Center with Sheila Barker, with the American Academy of Ballet, and with American Dance Training Camps, and she has performed at various venues, ranging from local nursing homes to DisneyWorld and Universal Studios. Carolyn is honored to be accepted to the Miller Arts Scholars Program and is excited to continue her dance education and collaborate with new artists.

Savannah Maive Edwards is a child of the mountains, having been raised in both the Adirondacks and the Blue Ridge. Consequently, she has always had a natural inclination to tell stories. For most of her childhood, Savannah indulged her innate passion for storytelling through writing short stories, plays, and screenplays, which she would coerce her friends to read and costar in (all of which are now hidden deep within the abyss of time). It wasn’t until her family pulled up the stakes and moved to Nelson County, Virginia, that Savannah finally found her way onto the stage and has since refused to get off. Since entering the University of Virginia, Savannah has found her home in the drama department as an actor, writer, and director, and has been involved in many drama department and student theatre productions over the past couple of years. She has also found another home at Live Arts, the community theatre downtown, where she has worked as a camp counselor for the past two summers. Thanks to support from the Miller Arts Scholars, she acquired a third home at Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., where she spent part of her summer studying acting and working as an education administration intern. Savannah is grateful to have had so many opportunities to cultivate her artistry as a Miller Arts Scholar, and is grateful to be able to explore her role as an artist with each passing day.

Born in New York and raised in Tampa, Zoë Gray has been immersed in the arts her entire life.  After taking private violin lessons based on the Suzuki method beginning at age 5, and then dedicating herself to years of ballet and contemporary dance training at age 6, Zoë realized that her highest love was not actually violin or dance, but singing.  Her constant exploration with musical theatre, including the lead role of Marian in The Music Man (Masque Community Theatre, Tampa), led her to realize the true power of the voice.  She began studying classical voice and musical theatre under Nancy Garma her first year of International Baccalaureate high school, and currently studies with Pamela Beasley at UVa.  Zoë is a member of the University Singers and continues to explore the role of music academically as a TA for Professor Noel Lobley.  She has received Honors in Classical and Musical Theatre for her participation in the NATS Voice Competition in 2017 and 2018 as well as 4th place in the St. Petersburg Opera Guild Vocal Competition in both 2015 and 2016.  Perhaps most notably, Zoë sung the National Anthem for the Yankees in 2015 and 2016, and continues to participate in open mic nights and solo appearances.  As a Media Studies and Music (Performance Concentration) double major, Zoë seeks to combine her intellectual and creative interests in the marketing field.  She is thrilled to join the Miller Arts Scholars family and is excited to see where it will take her.

Jessica Harris has been involved in the arts for as long as she can remember. Hailing from Fluvanna, VA, Jessica has always included acting, dance, piano, violin, and voice lessons in her studies. From her first dance recital at the tender age of 3, Jessica found a second home on the stage as she soon became involved in community theater and dance ensembles. Locally, she has performed at Four County Players, Live Arts, and trained with the West End Academy of Dance and the Charlottesville Ballet Academy. As an actress, Jessica was recognized for "Excellent Individual Performance by a Female" at the 2015 Junior Theater Festival, and she received 3 nominations for Missoula Children’s Theater’s Residency programs honoring outstanding performances and dedication to theater. Jessica’s artistic focus in recent years has revolved around directing and teaching, and she is the founder and artistic director of Empowered Players, a Fluvanna-based youth theater organization dedicated to improving the lives of students through increased access to theater. She recently directed Dancing with Myself at Four County Players, and is currently assistant directing Jitney at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. Jessica offers individual and group dance and theater classes at various community locations, and seeks to inspire all students to find their voice and make the world a better place. At the University of Virginia, Jessica provided music direction for the Virginia Players Lab Series Festival and hopes to continue to be involved in student productions. Jessica is also an Echols Scholar and is on the Executive Board for Kids Acting Out, a student-run volunteer theater group. She is tremendously grateful to be a Miller Arts Scholar and is so excited to be involved.

Payton Moledor is a North Carolina born and raised actress currently studying Drama at UVA. She also holds certificates from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art, where she studied Drama and Classical Acting respectively. Voted most likely to make a funny face in high school, Payton now makes funny faces all across the country. Favorite professional credits include Katherine in Newsies, Myrtle Mae in Harvey with UVA's own Heritage Theatre Festival, and Maude Tate in the world premier of home-spun bluegrass musical From The Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story. Payton is an award-winning vocalist with regional titles from NATS and NSAL, and has also choreographed and written theatre professionally. On grounds, Payton has performed as Hope in Urinetown (UVA Drama), Wendla in Spring Awakening (Spectrum Theatre), and Amy in Company (Spectrum Theatre), and was a part of the Street Chorus in the acclaimed 50th anniversary production of Leonard Bernstein's MASS. Check her out at www.paytonmoledor.com! 

Ava Reynolds, from Harrisonburg, VA, has answered “artist” to the frequented childhood question of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Throughout middle and high school, there was rarely a time when Ava wasn’t enrolled in some form of art class, and in the summers, she would devote much time to painting and crafting various things. Now, those childhood dreams are manifesting as Ava pursues a Studio Art major, with a concentration in Printmaking. At UVa, she is an Arts Grounds Guide, and will be attending the Mountain Lake Biological Station ArtLab, Summer 2018. As a double major with Studio Art and Global Studies: Environments and Sustainability, Ava hopes to continue to let her dual passion for environmental justice advocacy shine through her creative passions, and is excited to allow the Miller Arts Scholars program to hopefully be an outlet for these goals. Although unsure if she sees herself pursuing more art degrees or a career as an artist, Ava knows she will never stop creating.

Heidi Waldenmaier started dancing when she was only 5 years old at her local ballet school in Onancock, Virginia. The ESO Arts Center was her home for the next 13 years where she studied classical ballet and performed twice a year. During the summer, she would go to ballet intensives at various schools, including The Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theater, The Rock School, and Richmond Ballet. In high school, she volunteered as the choreographer for the Nandua Middle School Theater Company for 4 productions. In 2014, she joined draMAStic danceworks, a contemporary dance company, as an intern and performed alongside professionals in Footwork & Footlights and The Remarkable Voyages O’Molly Reed. She was in Broken Toys, a collaborative dance film with Rawhide Theater Company and draMAStic danceworks. At UVA, she performed in the Fall Dance Concert during her first semester and joined the University Dance Club for her second semester. She worked at The Lost Colony, an outdoor drama in Manteo, North Carolina, as a dancer during the summer of 2017. Although dance is her first love, Heidi is involved in the arts in other ways as well. She interned as the assistant stage manager and scenic at The North Street .

Anna Warner came to UVA from Nashville, TN (before Nashville, she lived in South Carolina, Florida, and two separate times in Charlottesville, VA.) As you can see, she keeps ending up in Charlottesville. She’s quite alright with that phenomenon because being here now as a college student, she is connected with a beautiful community of artists and has discovered a deep-rooted passion for film photography. During her eight years of middle school and high school in Nashville, Anna danced, sang in chamber choir, tried her hand in a couple school musicals, and made a lot of drawings. She received her high school’s Fine Arts Award, which is given to one graduating senior, at a time when she still thought she wanted to be a doctor. That plan changed when art classes at UVA revolutionized her world, and film photography stole her heart. Anna loves film photography because of its inherently intimate process, and how that has remained stoic in a world overrun with images everywhere 24/7. She is also fascinated with philosophy and theory behind photography. Now, Anna is majoring in Studio Art, aspiring to make bodies of fine art photographs that will one day appear in books and galleries. Her creativity is also expressed through embroidery, and she is interested in exploring the potential of different art forms merging – so she is very excited about being a part of the Miller Arts Scholar program and becoming more integrated with an interdepartmental art community at UVA.

Kia Wassenaar is a writer and artist from Charlottesville, Virginia. Growing up, her love of science fiction, fantasy, and magical realist literature kept her rooted in the creative world, and sparked an early interest in writing, which she continued to pursue throughout her youth. She studied songwriting at the Young Writer’s Workshop for three summers in high school, and returned in the summer of 2017 to teach. Influenced by a desire to tell stories, much of her creative life has centered around the merging of art and writing. While she is interested in a wide range of mediums, especially drawing, she has found that the energetic nature of filmmaking provides the best space for her interests to converge. At UVA, Kia is studying English and Studio Art with a concentration in cinematography. She is eager to explore more within the world of digital art and music production, and hopes to incorporate a variety of new media into her work.

Isabella Whitfield, an artist from Centreville Virginia, is interested in exploring the themes of social connection and contemporary society. In February 2018, she was commissioned as a portrait artist by the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative for the exhibition, Face to Face: Portraits of Our Vibrant City. This innovative project, aimed at uniting diverse communities, teamed up ten portrait artists with Charlottesville community members. Isabella is also involved with a number of graphic design positions at UVA. Currently, she is part of the design team for UVA’s Media Studies research journal, Movable Type. Additionally, she enjoys creating promotional visual content for University Programs Council as a part of the Marketing Committee. Through a grant from the Student Arts Fund, she is currently working on a painting series that explores the contemporary family portrait. Isabella is excited to continue artistic collaboration through the Miller Arts Scholars Program.

Emily Williams is a music and statistics double major from Farmington, Connecticut.  Though she didn’t start playing violin until the second grade, she has always been drawn to the arts, especially music.  She has studied classical violin privately since fourth grade and was in the youth program at the Hartt School of Music then studied with HSO principal Jarek Lis.  In high school, Emily was All-State for choir and orchestra her junior and senior years and All-National for Choir her senior year. She has played for regional orchestras including the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Cathedral Youth Orchestra.  She currently takes violin lessons with David Sariti and is in the University Singers, Chamber Singers and has played in Chamber Ensembles. On grounds, Emily is a Vocal Director for the First Year Players’ production of “Anything Goes,” is in Virginia Dance Company, is the committee chair for Student Council’s Student Arts Committee, is a student member for the UVA Arts Council, and has played in a few pit orchestras for student theatre productions.  She has had the opportunity to teach some beginner violinists including assisting at the Farmington Suzuki Strings Academy for three summers and wants to continue this hopefully through her own studio in the future. Emily has enjoyed getting to explore different musical interests including conducting, arranging, and general songwriting during her time at UVA and can’t wait to see what other exciting opportunities await. She is incredibly thrilled and thankful to get the chance to work with all of the amazing artists in the Miller Arts Scholars program!

Anna is quite grateful to be a part of the Miller Arts Program. She considers art to be by far the most challenging and rewarding part of her life. To her, there is nothing more difficult than coming up with an idea for how to create something out of nothing, or dealing with a piece of art-in-progress when the parts simply will not fit together. Luckily, Anna believes that there is nothing more satisfying than stepping back and  contemplating a finished work. The pride that comes from having created something with nothing more than her own hands and concepts makes all the late nights and anxiety worthwhile. Being a Miller Arts Scholar allows Anna to interact with students and faculty who help push and inspire her to think about the art she loves in a different and more engaging way. Undoubtedly, this contributes to making her a better artist and, with any luck, propels her past the ‘not bad’ realm of bovines and ice cream cones. This enhanced skill will also be extremely useful in her chosen career path, art conservation.

Maeve Bradley, from Alexandria, Virginia, has always enjoyed her proximity to DC, taking advantage of the free access to a wide variety of public art at the National Gallery of Art and Hirshhorn Museum. She’s had great relationships with art teachers in the public schools from after-school art programs in Elementary School to the art department at T.C. Williams H.S. In high school, she participated in the Friends of the Torpedo Factory Mentorship program where she worked with a painter for her junior year, and helped install a show of a few of her pieces for the National Art Honor Society with her classmates at the Del Ray Artisans gallery. Always partial to pen and ink drawings and ceramics, at UVA she’s pursuing an interest in photography and digital media. Maeve is a double major in Studio Art and American Studies with a concentration in Popular and Visual Culture, interested in a variety of media types from music and visual albums to film and photography. She’s excited to expand her involvement in the arts community and to have the opportunity to work on collaborative mixed media projects.

Born in Williamsburg, Virginia but raised in Lynchburg, Virginia, DJ Braye has always been interested in the concept of artistic expression. Initially, DJ began his curiosity for art with drawing. In hope of keeping him quite during church, his Mom gave him a composition notebook and a pencil. From there, he couldn’t stop his creative drive. Throughout his academic career at Jefferson Forest High School, he continued to study visual arts; however, it wasn’t until his senior year when he joined his first theatrical production in the high school’s drama department, Cavalier Theatre. Casted as Linville in the musical Damn Yankees, where he won “Best Featured Actor in a Musical,” DJ fell in love with theatrical performance. Afterwards, DJ has continued studying acting and performance at the University of Virginia’s Drama Department. At U.Va, DJ has grown as a performer in the Drama Department, appearing in main stage productions such as Our Town as an ensemble member and Arctic Circle: A Recipe for Swedish Pancakes as Noah, Will, and Casey, along with the orientation play, Grounds for Discussion, in 2016. DJ has also been heavily involved in the University of Virginia’s Filmmaker’s Society, where he has performed in a variety of short films, such as Monotone as Caden (2016), Real(ity) Love as Cam the Cameraman (2016), and Life After Death as Gigi (2016). While at the University of Virginia, DJ has found his passion for both theatrical and film performance, along with his love for filmmaking. As a Media Studies Major, DJ intendeds to utilize his creative skills and artistic expression to create unique forms of art which involves the audience in new ways. He’s very excited to work and grow as a professional artist with other Miller Arts Scholars and is extremely thankful to have this opportunity to explore the various form of artistic creativity.

Claire Burke, from Warrenton, VA, grew up camping and hiking. From an early age, she has traveled across the country visiting national parks and monuments. She became obsessed with animals, rocks, plants, and anything that could be considered remotely wild.  Her childhood adoration of the outside manifested itself in her artwork. As an Environmental Science and Studio Art double major, she is interested in the intersection between science versus art and technology versus nature. Having been part of the first generation to grow up with computers, she feels that technology is integral to her self-perception.  In contrast, her love of the outdoors pulls her away from the high-tech fibers of society to an older, simpler time and place. Her career goal is to go into scientific illustration or exhibit design.

Kaiming Cheng is a Music and Computer Science major from Shanghai, China. At a very young age, he began to play drum and was actively involved in different music groups and bands in both China and America. After also developing a keen interest in technology, Kaiming tried to combine his two best interests- music and computer science. At the age of 16, Kaiming worked with musicians and engineers from Shanghai and developed a gaming software system for music education. Specifically, it is a game to teach children drumming and it is a much more fun and engaging experience compared to traditional music education. He received a patent for this development in 2014 (registration number 2014SR054613). Here at UVA, Kaiming hopes to learn more about music technology. Currently, he is taking upper-level courses with professor Luke Dahl and Matthew Burtner. He appreciates and looks forward to the opportunities that Miller Art Scholars will bring. He expects to graduate in 2019 with a Bachelor's Degree in both music and Computer Science.

Alice Clair has been playing music since she was 8 years old. Under her mentor, Joe Madison of Blue Star Music, she began to write songs on the guitar and perform them at the age of twelve. She worked as an apprentice at Blue Star and learned how to fix and play multiple instruments, including guitars, mandolins, banjos, and even accordions. Since then, she has gone on to perform across Nelson, Albemarle, and Augusta County in several musical groups and in countless venues. Her interests and influences span bluegrass and folk country music to classic rock and funk. Currently you can find Alice performing with the rock band The Blenders as vocalist and guitarist at venues spanning Fellini's #9 to the Southern and the Camel in Richmond. She is also a DJ on WXTJ and a volunteer sound engineer on WTJU. Alice is a double major in biology and music, and is pleased to have Richard Will both as her bluegrass professor and major advisor.

Throughout his life, Jack has always been drawn to the stage. After a formative arts education at a Colorado Springs, Colorado middle school, (where Jack debuted his acting career playing JoJo in a local community theater production, Seussical), Jack and his family moved back to the Washington Metropolitan Area, where he attended South County High School in Lorton, VA. At South County, Jack performed in a number of lead and supporting roles like Action in West Side Story, Harold Hill in The Music Man, Franz Liebkind in The Producers, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. While participating in the D.C. area “Cappies” Awards program, Jack was recognized in 2014 as “Best Comedic Actor in a Musical” for his portrayal of Franz Liebkind, and in 2015 was awarded “Best Male Vocalist” for Jean Valjean. Jack has had the privilege of performing twice at the renowned John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the “Jets” ensemble for “Gee Officer Krupke,”(2014), and with his solo performance of“Bring Him Home (2015). Upon arrival at the University of Virginia, Jack has continued to be heavily involved in the arts scene, performing with First Year Players (Charley Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along and Herr Schultz in Cabaret), Spectrum Theatre (Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice), as well as the all-male a cappella group, The Virginia Gentlemen. Jack is looking forward to increasing his involvement in drama at the University, and is grateful to the Miller Arts Scholars Program for helping him to further his love of art and performance.

Corrinne James grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, spending most of her time downtown in DC attending shows at The 9:30 Club, The Black Cat and U-Street music hall. Highly influenced by musicians such as the Pixies, her first design jobs focused around the DIY music scene in Alexandria and Washington DC. When she was 16, Corrinne illustrated a children's book called The Magic of Butterflies by Ruth Heinsburg, and when 17, worked one on one with painter, Marcia Dullum at The Torpedo Factory, which resulted in an end of year exhibit of the work that was created. During her senior year she was awarded a Gold Key and a Silver Key for design by the Scholastics Art and Writing competition. She now has work published in Rookie Magazine, Golden Boy Press, and Whurk Magazine. She illustrates for bands such as The Obsessives, and The Duskwhales and would like to continue working within the music industry. At UVA, she illustrates for the student radio station, WXTJ, and creates animations and videos.

Chuanyuan Liu is a Music/Statistics double major, with concentrations in vocal performance and econometrics, respectively. Although he never had the chance to study music formally in his hometown of Changchun, China, music has always been his passion – he was in the student choir in his elementary school, won multiple awards in provincial and national singing competitions, and was the lead singer and co-founder of his band group in high school. After he took his first music class at UVA, he discovered his interest in classical music and became determined to pursue music both as his major and career. He is currently taking voice lessons with Mr. Jordan Davidson and is a member of both the University Singers and Chamber Singers. Chuanyuan is extremely honored to have been selected as a Miller Arts Scholar and is excited to collaborate and connect with other student artists.

Michelle Miles, a Charlottesville native, has sought to make meaning of the world through artistic discipline since youth. Her interest in the visual arts has evolved over time, from painting and sketching as a child, to photography, film, and creative writing. Currently, Miles studies cinematography under Professor of Art and filmmaker Kevin Jerome Everson. Miles met a connection of Everson's at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2015, which she attended for the short film she co-directed, "Beatrix." The film won best short documentary, and was described by judges as a "beautifully shot portrait [that] explores individuality and the joy in finding oneself." That could serve as a way of describing Miles as well. She's finding herself at the University by participating in extracurriculars focused on the arts, and collaborating with other student artists to continuing creating and learning about art.

Luc Cianfarani is a Music and History major from Saratoga Springs, NY.  He began playing the piano at the age of 5 and music has been an integral part of his life ever since. He decided to intensify his studies beginning in high school and hopes to find a career in music. Over the past few years he has developed a passion for early 20th century piano music and he enjoys playing the works of Prokofiev, Bartok and Rachmaninoff. At UVa, he is a student of John Mayhood and was the pianist in First Year Players' production of Godspell. He is grateful for the opportunity to be a Miller Arts Scholar and is excited to develop his skills as a performer and musician in the program.

Alexandra (Alex) D'Elia has been involved in the arts since childhood; dancing, playing the piano, acting and choreographing. She grew up competing in ballet, jazz, tap, modern, hip hop and gymnastics for Dancensations Dance Center in Alexandria, Virginia, where she is currently a dance teacher and camp manager. Alex has also trained with The Washington School of Ballet, The Kirov Academy of Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Virginia Residential Governor's School for Visual and Performing Arts, BalletNOVA, Strictly Rhythm Dance Center, and closely with Troy D. Brown through The Art of Technique. Alex is extremely honored to be accepted into the Miller Arts Scholars Program to continue her training in dance as well as collaborate with other artists in differing disciplines.

While Wesley Diener has intensely studied theatre, violin, and piano, his true passion is singing.  In his hometown of Vienna, VA, Wesley was surrounded by instrumental endeavors when he first discovered the beauty of singing in preparation for musical theatre roles.  Since then, he has truly fallen in love with the art form, performing lead roles in musicals such as Into the Woods, Seussical, and The Wizard of Oz, collaborating with Tony award-winner Jason Robert Brown, and singing in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall multiple times.  At UVa, he studies voice with Mrs. Pamela Beasley and piano with Mr. John Mayhood.  This year, he had the privilege of performing in Ash Lawn Opera's Amahl and the Night Visitors, UVa Drama's Wonderful Town, and First Year Player's The Producers.  Additionally, he is a member of the University Singers and the Chamber Singers, the incoming Fundraising Chair of First Year Players, and a member of the Student Council Arts Committee for the 2015-2016 school year.  This summer, he will be portraying Riff in West Side Story and Micah in The Bartered Bride with the Bethesda Music Festival.  He is thrilled to further explore UVa's artistic opportunities with the Miller Art Scholars!

Vivien Fergusson has been enamored with dance, ever since she was a little girl who aspired to become the world's first ballerina fairy princess. Although she eventually understood that the realization of such a dream was improbable, the passion that founded the ambition remains to this day. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Vivien was trained first by the West End Academy of Dance and later, more extensively, by Richmond Ballet throughout her childhood, during which she performed in numerous workshops and ballet productions. Although her heart belonged to ballet, she did explore other styles, such as jazz, modern, character, and hip-hop; she was enthralled by the effortless intertwining of music and dance, and found great joy in any form of the art. But after a foot injury prevented her from continuing her studies in ballet en pointe, she was forced to give up her classical training and embrace other forms of dance. She became very involved in modern/ contemporary through her school, as a member of her high school's Advanced and Senior Dance Companies. Her personal choreography was selected thrice to be featured in annual concerts. Additionally, outside of the school's explicit dance program, she was elected by her peers to choreograph and teach routines for a yearly grade-wide production called "Brunch," and was also chosen as a choreographer for the Homecoming pep squad's dance routines. Vivien is also certified as a Zumba instructor, and for a while founded a club and taught classes to students and teachers alike. Thus far, the University of Virginia has holistically expanded her knowledge of dance in inconceivable ways and has granted her opportunities she could only have dreamt of. She is extremely honored to have been selected as a Miller Arts Scholar, and looks forward to continuing her education in the art form she loves.

Kirsten Hemrich grew up outside D.C.. She double majors in painting and poetry writing and is the director of WXTJ Student Radio. During her time at UVA, she has designed and edited the UVA APPW anthology, Quince; has worked for multiple art galleries; has received Miller grants, has received the University Award for Project in the Arts; and has had her work exhibited around Charlottesville. Her work can be found online at: https://www.instagram.com/kirsten_hemrich/

Steven Johnson is a Drama Major concentrating in the areas of Lighting Design, Sound Design, and Scenic Design. Steven has been working in and learning about technical theatre since he began highschool, and continues to push himself in his studies by enrolling graduate level courses and independent studies to expand his mind and hone his skills. Steven is an employee of the UVA Department of Drama's Light Shop, and has also worked for the Virginia Film Festival, Heritage Theatre Festival, and Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City. Steven also volunteers his time as a designer and technician with groups such as Spectrum Theatre, Live Arts, and the Department of Drama. Steven is excited to collaborate with other Miller Arts Scholars to explore and create in new areas of design and tech outside of theatre.

Taylor Lamb isn't quite sure when her love for theatre started, but it has been her passion for as long as she can remember. At four years old, she forced her family to sit through her one-woman shows that she also wrote and directed, and since then has always had a penchant for performance. Raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia, she finally got a chance to perform in a real show once she attended Kemps Landing Magnet School. KLMS was the only middle school in Virginia Beach that taught theatre as an elective, and her desire to attend was so great she wrote an unsolicited, probably unwanted one page essay in colorful font in the hopes of receiving admission. She got in and took theatre each year, receiving a variety of lead roles. She then continued her education at Salem High School's Visual and Performing Arts Academy. Through her four years there she got the chance to play wonderful roles such as Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Mother Superior in Agnes of God, and Carmen in Fame to name a few. Her junior class was also able to perform at the award winning Folger Theater, where she received the Supporting Star Award for her rendition of Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet. Since coming to Univeristy of Virginia, she has performed in the Vagina Monologues, the premiere show of Two Lips, Grounds for Discussion, and Black Monologues. It is very important to her to use art as a means for change, which is why she has participated in these shows. Her love of theatre is eternal, and she recently got a tattoo that says "Break A Leg" in her high school theatre teacher's handwriting to prove it. She plans to major in English with a minor in Drama, and continue her study of theatre long after her time at the University of Virginia ends.

Josephine Miller is a music major, with a concentration in vocal performance and a double major with Speech Pathology (Curry). She have always been very influenced by and involved in the arts- her parents are wonderful musical inspirations for her. As a military brat, she has found that, no matter where she goes, the community that she feels most at home in is the music community. As a young child, some of her fondest memories are of listening to her mother play beautiful sonatas on her beloved Yamaha. From dance classes to voice lessons, her family has been extremely supportive of her passion for singing. Josephine has taken voice lessons for the past seven years (with Mary Matthews) during which she has competed in several competitions (NATs, Virginia Bland). She has had the privilege of performing an aria for Leona Mitchell. On grounds, Josephine is the Music Director of the all-female a cappella group, Hoos in Treble, as well a member of the University Singers. She also takes voice lessons with Pamela Beasley and studies piano with Barbara Moore. Josephine is excited not only to connect with other musicians, but also to learn and grow with other artists in different disciplines.

Born in Tehran, Iran but raised in Virginia Beach, VA, Parima's first words according to her mother were neither "Mom" nor "Dad" but "drawing". She would draw on the walls, on the floor, on herself, and on any possible surface that she could find and as she grew up her love for arts, music, and creativity grew too. Parima dedicated all of her high school years to playing the violin in her school orchestra and has a passion for classical music as well. She loves learning new languages and enjoys learning about different cultures, which often translate into her artwork. Parima is majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Studio Arts.

Braelyn Schenk; dancer, singer/songwriter, actor and the many other titles, activities and passions, loves and joys that make her human, have been cultivated in and around her since she was very young. Braelyn began dancing in her hometown of Cleveland, OH at the age of 3. Her ballet slippers and pink tutu soon became the expected wardrobe when attending speech and drama lessons. From the dance studio, to the drama classroom, to the family kitchen, where she most often tested her newest vocal and musical experiments, Braelyn and art became inseparable. Schooled at home through to her early high school years, her parents were able to help Braelyn pursue her passion for the performing arts and for the community it cultivates by taking full advantage of Cleveland's renowned orchestra, theatre district, and countless artist collectives. The city of Cleveland and all that it offers, became one of her expansive classrooms. When Braelyn moved to Charlottesville in 2011, she attended public high school for the first time where her customized education, her passion for art and early training paid off. Braelyn's high school drama teacher was an impressive catalyst as she sought to use theatre to further her students, the school and greater community of Charlottesville.  In this, Braelyn saw the merging of all she held dear; excellent artistry, community building, and social uplift. By involving herself in every level of her high school's theatre department, Braelyn gained more experience in acting, singing, dancing, choreographing and community building. These activities, passions, loves and joys have only been magnified by her first year at UVA as she continues to sing, dance and act for the greater good of her community.

Gabrielle (Gabby) Struckell began dancing at a young age in her hometown of Dallas, TX. She studied at KJ Dance and joined the company at this studio in 2006. Under the direction of Kristy Blakeslee she attended many dance conventions and competitions, regionally and nationally. Gabby has traveled to New York and Los Angeles expanding her dance education at NYCDA Nationals and learning from various instructors at the Edge Studio. In the summers of 2013 and 2014, she put on a dance camp in Belfast, Northern Ireland for segregated youth living in the inner city communities. After this experience, she has been interested in how dance can bring people of different cultures and backgrounds together and hopes to pursue this interest further at UVA. While on the pre med track, Gabby enjoys balancing her math and science classes with her arts classes. She is planning on minoring in dance, having performed in the Fall 2014 Experimental Dance Concert and the Spring 2015 Dance concert. One of her favorite experiences first year was attending the American College Dance Association conference at Towson University with other members of the dance program at UVA. Gabby is very excited to be apart of this amazing program while learning about different opportunities to pursue the arts here at the University of Virginia.

Micah Ariel Watson is a Drama and African-American Studies Distinguished major. As a playwright and filmmaker, her work focuses on the ways in which Black history and the contemporary moment mirror one another, often employing devices of poetry and hip-hop. In the fall of 2015 and 2016, Micah founded, produced, and directed The Black Monologues a groundbreaking theatrical production that explores the diversity of Blackness at UVA and beyond. Her films Edges and Educated Feet were shown at the Virginia Film Festival in 2016 and 2017, respectively. In the spring of 2017, Micah’s play Wake Up Music! was a part of the New Works Festival and the winner of the Clay E. Delauney Memorial Award.  Recently, Micah received the Kennedy Center Undergraduate Playwriting Award for Canaan and is a finalist for the KCACTF Gary Garrison 10-Minute Play Award for Will Be Live. She will continue pursuing a career as a playwright and screenwriter by attending NYU Tisch School of The Arts Dramatic Writing Program in the fall of 2018.

Anne Codd has felt a passion for art ever since her first experiences with of crayons and sidewalk chalk. Thanks to the support and encouragement of her family and teachers, art rapidly became a fundamental and much-loved part of Anne’s life. A graduate of The Mary Louis Academy in New York City, New York, Anne has always found herself inspired by the city’s love for all expressions of art. While Art class has always been her favorite time of the day, Anne’s participation in her high school’s Art Major program encouraged her to seriously develop her artistic style and ability. Over the course of her exposure to art, Anne’s works have ranged from restaurant menus etched with familiar sketches to tattered drawing pads filled with portraits to national competition entries and award winning pieces. Anne is thankful for the opportunity to have expressed her love for art across different scales and stages. Her love for art grew from experiences as a child, was shaped by the excellent direction of her instructors in high school, and has been sharpened by her university level art experience.  Anne plans to continue her artistic development at the University of Virginia as an Art major, bolstered by exposure to new forms of art and ever evolving means of expression. Excited and honored to be an Arts Scholar, Anne cannot wait for the development and opportunity to be found within her next few years at the University of Virginia.

Kylie Grow grew up in a town on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania constantly surrounded by artwork and creative minds. Her father and professional ceramicist, Brian Grow, inspired her throughout her childhood to pursue the arts and to take them seriously. Kylie found her artistic niche at her first high school in an introductory darkroom photography class and she carried this passion with her to her second high school in Falls Church, Virginia where she studied as an International Baccalaureate art student for two years. In school she expanded her media base, working in intaglio printmaking, multi-media sculpture, painting and practicing film photography in her darkroom at home. She graduated JEB Stuart High School with the IB Diploma and the departmental awards in Studio Art and Language. Outside of the classroom, some of her major artistic accolades include the Dan Parris Cluster III Superintendent’s award and Gold Key for her photograph “Rivers” and Gold Key for her photography portfolio at the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. Kylie was also selected as an Emerging Artist for the 2013 Celebrate! Fairfax Summer Fair. Kylie’s photographs have been published in various art and literary magazines including Vademecum, in which she was selected to be a featured photographer. Kylie looks forward to continuing to practice journalistic film photography during her third trip to Las Delicias, El Salvador this May and is ecstatic to be eligible to participate in the Arts Scholars Program next semester.

Yilin "Kingston" Liu has been dancing since age 14, when he first saw the old-school funkstylers popping to the beat in a dance battle in Beijing, China. After years of self-teaching, struggling, and experimenting, he has finally developed his own style as a Hip Hop freestyler, with the help of his friends and mentors such as METU, Master Harvey, Lady-T, and Kim Brooks Mata. Currently he is running the Mighty Dance Workshop series, dancing in AKAdeMiX dance crew and D.B. dance crew (Beijing), and doing videography for the Hip Hop dance community and occasionally for events like Dance Concert or Jazz Ensemble Concert in the University of Virginia. Even though he does not pursue a dance minor, he knows deeply in his heart that this passion will stay with him for his life, and he will continue to grow and dance for the people around him. Temporary website: http://kingstonliu.weebly.com/

Aspen Miller began his study of theatre at the age of six years old in his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. Starting with weekly improv classes and semesterly school plays, he grew to love the stage. His work continued with the local community theater, Live Arts, where he learned what it means to create and collaborate. While attending Charlottesville High School, Aspen found his true passion for directing. For his directing debut, he collaborated on a One Act, Sci-Fi musical which he brought to Virginia Theatre Association's One Act Competition. "From Earth" won Best Student Written Show, Best Director, Best Tech, and multiple best performance awards. Since then he has focused on film, dabbling in comedy, noir, horror, drama, and "Mocumentary". He plans on continuing his work in film as a Drama Major at UVA and he is both honored and excited to be part of the Arts Scholar Program. Currently, he is writing a screen play dedicated to the healing process behind loss and suicide. Filming will begin in June. 

Fortunate to grow up as the granddaughter of a Chinese watercolorist and develop under the instruction of encouraging grade-school art teachers, Susan lives with a desire to create. She came to UVa with a background in drawing, painting, and various collaborative projects, such as a mural for her public high school in Acton, Massachusetts and installation art at Massachusetts Art All-States. Her curiosity has since led her to explore film photography in Italy, scenic painting, and the digital landscape among various other liberal arts subjects that have informed her art. Visit rsx3cd.wix.com/astudentartist for examples of her work. Susan enjoys giving tours at the Fralin Museum of Art and waking up for sunrises. She expects to graduate in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and a minor in Studio Art.

Heidi Klockenbrink is thrilled and honored to be part of the Arts Scholars program here at the University of Virginia. She was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia, where she graduated from Hidden Valley High School. She also was accepted to and attended the Burton Center for Performing Arts, of which she was elected President and ran functions and events for the program. Heidi has been in myriad theatrical productions, both local and regional, including shows such as Oklahoma!, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Guys & Dolls, Beauty & the Beast, and It's a Wonderful Life. Her favorite role to date has been to portray the lead as Madeleine in Madeleine's Christmas. Heidi hopes to major in Arts Administration, a program that supports students with diverse interests within the creative realm. She plans to continue her education at graduate school and someday reside in her favorite state of California, but for now she couldn't be happier looking forward to the rest of her journey at UVA.

Margaret is in her fourth year at the University of Virginia, majoring in Studio Art, with a concentration in Printmaking and a DMP candidate. She enjoys the expansive practice of printmaking and still has lots to learn. Art making makes for great community, and she is glad she has been apart of this one. Her work has been shown at the McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, VA.

Jack Kehoe, born in Washington, D.C., has held a passion for the arts his whole life. From a very young age, Jack expressed interest in playing the piano and guitar and in various mediums of visual art. In middle school, he found a love for singing, beginning with musical theatre and quickly spreading to choral music. Despite moving multiple times during middle and high school, Jack continued to participate in musical theatre programs and choirs, including the North Carolina Honors Chorus, of which he was placed as #1 tenor his senior year. At UVA, he is involved with the University Singers and Chamber Singers, First Year Players, and is Music Director of UVA’s premiere all-gender a cappella group, the New Dominions. Jack also takes voice lessons with Pamela Beasley, and is beginning to find an enthusiasm for singing arias and art songs. In addition, he is growing as a composer thanks to courses such as Composing Mixtapes. Jack is so grateful to be a part of this community of artists and scholars.