Mt. San Jacinto College’s performing arts club, Masqueraders SJC, is in the final stages of establishing a new scholarship for transferring performing arts students. The scholarship is five hundred dollars and can be used for anything the recipient may need to help make the process of transferring to a university easier. Qualifying for this scholarship requires an audition with a theatre, dance, or music department chair at their corresponding campus.
All of this is possible through the unique and efficient ways of fundraising money for the club. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Masqueraders SJC officer team and club advisor, they will advertise the audition dates for the scholarship soon. During an efficacious interview, the President, Ryan Lawrence, and Vice President, Rebekah Bailey, from Masqueraders SJC, discussed all the necessary information available about the scholarship.
Ryan Lawrence has been a member of the club for two years. His first year in the club, he served as the Inter Club Council Representative, and he is now the President. Rebekah Bailey has been a part of it for three years. In her first year, she was a proud member, in her second year the Executive Secretary, and in her third year she became Vice President.
Masqueraders SJC’s mission is to provide a fun and energetic atmosphere for students who are performing artists, either as their selected major or as their hobby. They offer extra opportunities for the student body to perform for their community. Known for putting on incredible events like talent showcases, cabarets, movie screenings, dance classes, special themed murder mysteries, and its annual end-of-the-year award show. Vice President Bailey’s favorite event she hosted this school year thus far was their Greek Mythology Themed Murder Mystery.
The newest achievement the club can add to their repertoire of accolades is the five-hundred-dollar scholarship. According to President Lawrence, “any graduating students transferring to a 4-year university who are performing arts majors – Theatre Arts, Dance, and Music” are eligible. The scholarship was created to aid students who spend most of their free time honing their craft. Since most of us are beginners in our fields, performing artists tend to perform in production for free. Sometimes, it is actually required to pay a monetary sum to be a part of a production, which means these performers are paying to express themselves artistically, only gaining experience in return.
The next requirement is that you must be a graduating student who is transferring to a 4-year university next school year. The final requirement is a mandatory audition with your respective department chairs. Theatre Arts Majors will audition with faculty Leopold Murphy at the Menifee Valley Campus. Dance Majors will audition with Julie Freeman, Chair of the Dance Department, SJC at the San Jacinto Campus. Music Majors will audition with MVC Music Chair John Tribelhorn at the Menifee Valley Campus. After their auditions, the faculty will give their top candidates to Bianca Swan-Finch, Chair of the Theatre Department at SJC, who will then pick the scholarship recipient.
Auditions will be held during the last week of April, and the recipient will possibly be awarded the award at the Annual Masquerader Award Show in May. More specific dates will be released once everything is finalized. Follow the club’s Instagram @masquerade_eagles to stay updated on dates and times when they get posted. While you are there, check out the dates and tickets for the San Jacinto Campus’ upcoming Musical production of Hairspray, written by John Waters.
Vice President Bailey let us in on how they are fundraising the money for the scholarship. She stated, “At every production we have – dance or theatre – we sell concessions and we are going to have events like our Coffee & Waffle Day, and Film Festival.” Masqueraders SJC have also submitted fundraising applications, had meetings with the funding board, and have been working diligently with their club advisor, Bianca Swan-Finch. Both the President and the VP have made it happily known that this has been a collaborative team effort thanks to the help of their other officers.
Now, to address the elephant in the room. Yes, I have the astounding pleasure of getting this scholarship named after me. I was the President of the Masqueraders SJC for the school year 2023-2024, and thanks to the team of officers, we achieved so much. One thing I wasn’t able to get off the ground was acquiring a scholarship for performing arts students to have the opportunity to receive. Proud isn’t an elegant enough word to express how I feel about this year’s team of leadership for the Masqueraders SJC – shout out to Masqueraders MVC because they are killing it too. I had nothing to do with choosing the name; however, as someone who can talk someone’s ear off, there aren’t enough words to express my gratitude for this honor.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
