Theatre UCF Student Wins Scholarship

BA Theatre student Katie Gray Coleman has been awarded one of two $500 scholarship from the Michelle Catania Children's Theatre Program.

The scholarship was established to honor the legacy of Michelle Catania, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2010 after a valiant 10-year fight. In an effort to preserve her memory and true spirit, many loving family members and friends established the Michelle Catania Children’s Theater Program, in partnership with the Center Players, her local community theater in Freehold, NJ. The program provides children’s theater programming in addition to awarding one $500 scholarship each year in each of the states she called home, Florida and New Jersey. To qualify for the scholarship, a member of the applicant’s immediate family must have had a serious bout with cancer.

"We are thrilled to award these scholarships," said Bernice Garfield-Szita, President of Center Players. "By supporting the next generation of academically successful students involved in theater and community service, we pay tribute to Michelle and her vision of young adults involved in the arts."

For the 2011-2012 academic year, the program received numerous applications from students planning to attend many different colleges and universities in both Florida and New Jersey. Selection criteria includes academic performance, letters of recommendation, an essay about how cancer affected the student’s life, and qualifying letters from the student’s parent or guardian . More information about the Michelle Catania Children’s Theater Program Scholarship can be found at http://michellecatania.wordpress.com/scholarship-Program/.