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.