ALEXA Bell
$5,000 scholarship winner Decatur, Georgia Film and TV, New York University
Attending NYU has been a dream of mine since I participated in their Future Filmmakers Program. It was then that I discovered my interest in film. The program was a preview of the possibilities of a film education at NYU. I was introduced to the basics of filmmaking through a snippet of the curriculum, which was catered to my visual and hands-on learning preference. Leaving the program with such a positive experience, I knew I would not only flourish as a person, but as a storyteller, inspired by the unique qualities of my peers, the intelligence of my professors, and the engaging structure of my classes. From an early age, I was always drawing, writing, dancing, painting, and into various other arts. I decided to become a film major because it allows me to combine many aspects of differing art forms into one media. It is my hope to use film as a means to influence the world through narratives displaying the unique struggles of the Black community. Often people of the Black community struggle due to lack of access to proper mental health treatment. This results in an endless cycle of poverty, drug addiction, or violence. While these are heavier topics, I hope to create films that advocate for change. Being accepted into NYU was exciting and lifechanging. However, it was extremely stressful to navigate how I would pay for college. I spent a great deal of my senior year applying for scholarships to make this dream possible. I will never forget the call saying I was the recipient of the What’s Ne[x]t scholarship.
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NE[X ]T MAG A Z I N E
SUMMER 2022
