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.