Excerpts from Ivy Lewis’ winning essay for the Independent Travel portion of the 2015 Building A Better World Scholarship. Go here for Ivy’s Global Awareness essay. 2015 BBW Winners.
Ivy the Actor – “Theater is something I’ve grown immensely appreciative of throughout my High School career. I love being on stage because of the vibe I am able to give to other people. When I step on stage as a character I get to live life through another persons shoes for a couple hours. I’ve learned so much about acting and being oneself just from the theater program I’ve been involved in here at Oakridge. Even though we don’t have the fanciest stage or props, we put our time and effort fully into these shows. My director, Ms. Kim Nelski, has taught me everything I know and has spent countless hours just helping me try to pursue what I love.”
Broadway – “I’d love to see a musical because I’ve always been in musicals. I love watching people blend music into acting, and musical theater is the only kind of theater that America can claim as their creation. I’ve seen traveling broadway shows, but I’ve never seen theater outside of Michigan. I know things are different depending on where in the world you are, but I never truly understood this until I walked the street fair in Selma, Alabama. I had been to street fairs before, but the one in Selma had an extremely different feel to it. If something like a street fair can give me that feeling, I can’t imagine the excitement I would experience walking on a street I’ve dreamed about for the past four years.”
A cup of coffee on Times Square – “Times Square is the heart of New York. It’s that signature picture one sees in movies, on posters, and in dreams. Just walking around Times Squair would be a great experience in itself. I want to sit down in a nice restaurant and eat dinner in Times Square at night. Then I can go explore the area and see what the city has to offer. A trip needs spontaneity, and this is where it can come in. The next morning I plan to go to a little coffee shop in Times Square so I can see the difference between early morning and bustling nighttime.”
