Making Grad School a Possibility for Jihad (Jay)
Donation protected
Hi!
I'm Jihad Milhem. I am an actor whose been working to hone my craft and become the best actor I can be for most of my adult life. The art of performance and story telling means the world to me-without it I don't know where I'd be.
As a younger man in pursuit of my life's passion I was accepted into and attended Otterbein University's BFA Acting program with a minor in Creative Writing. I count this as one of the blessings of my life. The training, knowledge, experience, and friendships I built there will stay with me for the rest of my life.
As part of my senior year I was required to intern somewhere in a casting office. I was able to intern at CBS primetime casting in Manhattan. Another truly invaluable experience, that unfortunately had a price tag. I had been going to Otterbein on a mix of grants and scholarships and (by my senior year, mostly) loans. Those sources of financial aid didn't include that unpaid internship in Manhattan. So I took out a private loan through Otterbein to pay for my rent and living expenses while I interned in New York City. Though I had been working throughout high school and college, the money I earned went to bills rather than savings.
After college I worked in small theatres in NYC and Philadelphia-including an Off-Off Broadway show, Philadelphia Artist Collective, and Azuka Theatre in Philly. Eventually moving with my partner, Alli, to Boulder where she went to Graduate School. As she was doing that I found out the private loan I had taken out from Otterbein to pay for my NYC internship was not bundled in with the rest of my loans and had gone into default. This doesn't allow me access to my transcripts until the amount is fully paid. The amount was just over $3,000.
When I found this out I paid $1,000 of it off over the course of a year and a half. Then we moved to Denver and I started acting full time. And this was Amazing news, since I hadn't gotten to act for the first two years I lived in Colorado-I was finally doing what I loved again! But I was now unable to pay down this debt, since my income began to suffer due to my focus on my acting career. And in the interim since the defaulted private loan from Otterbein University has grown back to $3095.12.
Recently I've come to realize that one of the best options I have to continue to grow in my career is a Graduate Acting Program. I believe the continuation of my training is greatly important to my goal of being the best actor I can possibly be. The experience of a repertory training schedule would ensure that I get the opportunity to work onstage in the evening while exploring my craft in class during the day. This along with film work and a Master's level diploma would give me more tools than I currently have to not only grow as an actor/storyteller, but also bring in more income while doing so.
In order to do this I will need:
-access to my transcripts, which includes paying off the debt I mentioned above ($3095.12) in full.
It also entails application fees for the three schools I'd want to apply to:
-Yale: $120
-UCSD (University of California San Diego):$155 ($50 audition fee+$105 application fee)
-The Old Globe USD (University of San Diego): $45
-Total: $320
And finally a round trip plane ticket to Chicago to be seen by all three programs:
-Flight:~$200
-Hotel:~$200
-Total: ~$400
Coming to an amount of roughly:
$3,815.12
I'm asking for financial help to help pay for this ~$3,815.12 investment in my future because I believe I'm worthy of this opportunity. As I have grown and worked as an actor, especially these past few years in Colorado, I've strived for excellence-always trying to be better than yesterday.
I will need these funds by the end of October to secure the audition times I need in Chicago (all the other audition times the schools have I'll be in a play in Colorado Springs).
I have been making a living acting for three years now. This accomplishment alone assures me I belong in an institution like the ones I'm auditioning for. In the time since moving to Colorado six years ago I've worked in over 30 theatrical productions, from school tours, to regional theatres, to people's living rooms. I've written, directed, and produced my own play, Mosque, which has been produced two separate times in Denver and once in Philadelphia. I've been in two feature films, one short film, and have begun the process of adapting Mosque into a screenplay. And most of that happened in the past three years. If I accomplished all of this with the resources I've had over the past 3 years-imagine what's possible once I'm given access to the resources of an institution like Yale, UCSD, or Old Globe USD for 2 or 3 years?
Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Anything that you can give is beyond amazing! The capacity for generosity from the people in my life has always inspired and humbled me. To think that you are even considering doing the same makes me want to work that much harder towards my goals.
I started down this journey to help remind people they aren't alone. Telling stories that remind us we aren't that odd, or strange, or that that thing you've always been so sure made you less than was actually something everyone deals with. This next step towards a Graduate degree will allow me to do that on a grander scale.
Thank you.
I'm Jihad Milhem. I am an actor whose been working to hone my craft and become the best actor I can be for most of my adult life. The art of performance and story telling means the world to me-without it I don't know where I'd be.
As a younger man in pursuit of my life's passion I was accepted into and attended Otterbein University's BFA Acting program with a minor in Creative Writing. I count this as one of the blessings of my life. The training, knowledge, experience, and friendships I built there will stay with me for the rest of my life.
As part of my senior year I was required to intern somewhere in a casting office. I was able to intern at CBS primetime casting in Manhattan. Another truly invaluable experience, that unfortunately had a price tag. I had been going to Otterbein on a mix of grants and scholarships and (by my senior year, mostly) loans. Those sources of financial aid didn't include that unpaid internship in Manhattan. So I took out a private loan through Otterbein to pay for my rent and living expenses while I interned in New York City. Though I had been working throughout high school and college, the money I earned went to bills rather than savings.
After college I worked in small theatres in NYC and Philadelphia-including an Off-Off Broadway show, Philadelphia Artist Collective, and Azuka Theatre in Philly. Eventually moving with my partner, Alli, to Boulder where she went to Graduate School. As she was doing that I found out the private loan I had taken out from Otterbein to pay for my NYC internship was not bundled in with the rest of my loans and had gone into default. This doesn't allow me access to my transcripts until the amount is fully paid. The amount was just over $3,000.
When I found this out I paid $1,000 of it off over the course of a year and a half. Then we moved to Denver and I started acting full time. And this was Amazing news, since I hadn't gotten to act for the first two years I lived in Colorado-I was finally doing what I loved again! But I was now unable to pay down this debt, since my income began to suffer due to my focus on my acting career. And in the interim since the defaulted private loan from Otterbein University has grown back to $3095.12.
Recently I've come to realize that one of the best options I have to continue to grow in my career is a Graduate Acting Program. I believe the continuation of my training is greatly important to my goal of being the best actor I can possibly be. The experience of a repertory training schedule would ensure that I get the opportunity to work onstage in the evening while exploring my craft in class during the day. This along with film work and a Master's level diploma would give me more tools than I currently have to not only grow as an actor/storyteller, but also bring in more income while doing so.
In order to do this I will need:
-access to my transcripts, which includes paying off the debt I mentioned above ($3095.12) in full.
It also entails application fees for the three schools I'd want to apply to:
-Yale: $120
-UCSD (University of California San Diego):$155 ($50 audition fee+$105 application fee)
-The Old Globe USD (University of San Diego): $45
-Total: $320
And finally a round trip plane ticket to Chicago to be seen by all three programs:
-Flight:~$200
-Hotel:~$200
-Total: ~$400
Coming to an amount of roughly:
$3,815.12
I'm asking for financial help to help pay for this ~$3,815.12 investment in my future because I believe I'm worthy of this opportunity. As I have grown and worked as an actor, especially these past few years in Colorado, I've strived for excellence-always trying to be better than yesterday.
I will need these funds by the end of October to secure the audition times I need in Chicago (all the other audition times the schools have I'll be in a play in Colorado Springs).
I have been making a living acting for three years now. This accomplishment alone assures me I belong in an institution like the ones I'm auditioning for. In the time since moving to Colorado six years ago I've worked in over 30 theatrical productions, from school tours, to regional theatres, to people's living rooms. I've written, directed, and produced my own play, Mosque, which has been produced two separate times in Denver and once in Philadelphia. I've been in two feature films, one short film, and have begun the process of adapting Mosque into a screenplay. And most of that happened in the past three years. If I accomplished all of this with the resources I've had over the past 3 years-imagine what's possible once I'm given access to the resources of an institution like Yale, UCSD, or Old Globe USD for 2 or 3 years?
Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Anything that you can give is beyond amazing! The capacity for generosity from the people in my life has always inspired and humbled me. To think that you are even considering doing the same makes me want to work that much harder towards my goals.
I started down this journey to help remind people they aren't alone. Telling stories that remind us we aren't that odd, or strange, or that that thing you've always been so sure made you less than was actually something everyone deals with. This next step towards a Graduate degree will allow me to do that on a grander scale.
Thank you.
Organizer
Jihad Milhem
Organizer
Zuni, CO