Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

W W W . P A C E . E D U / D Y S O N 19 "The Pace School of Performing Arts is a really fan- tastic program," Anderson said. "[As a fellow] I hope to gain a network of colleagues and mentors, along with a sense that my writing is worthy of being taken seriously." Luis Bermudez Jr. '21 For Luis Bermudez Jr., writing is like "a puzzle." "By the end of the story, everything will fit together and make sense, but the story itself will be chaotic," he said. A film and screen studies major, he typically focuses his writing on the goal of entertain- ment and emotion, so it's no surprise that music inspired his interest in storytelling. "I love artists who can tell a story with such vivid imagery that we all believe it happened the exact way they explained it," he said. Bermudez, who started out on Pace's Pleasant- ville campus before transferring to New York City, hopes to sell scripts as soon as possible, while pursu- ing directing and film production. He's thankful that the fellowship has placed him in an atmosphere to be able to work toward those goals. "This fellowship is a great way to build connections and learn from people who are already [successful]," he said. Michelle Chan '22 As a student in New York City, Michelle Chan has found plenty of new inspiration for her multifaceted work. "The opportunities that come from living and learning in this unique city are one-of- a-kind," Chan said. While the directing major, International Performance Ensemble program, is interested in a variety of disciplines, she hopes to pursue a career as a director, bringing the stories of our communities of color to life and exploring themes of cultural fusion and identity. Before starting at Pace, Chan spent several years growing up in Hong Kong. On campus, she served on the board of Stand Up! Productions throughout her freshman and sophomore years, helping produce full-length performances and new works. As a fellow, she's looking to further expand her artistic community. "I hope to create a network of other writers from diverse backgrounds and help each other navigate this industry that hasn't made it easy for us to tell our stories," she said. Jemma Harris '21 Jemma Harris first discovered her passion for writing through books. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, she recalls living as a squatter— when there wasn't enough money for rent—so perhaps reading offered an escape from the challenges of real life. "I'm a big fan of detail, and I like to use genre as a way to tell meaningful stories in a way that can address reality without slapping the reader in the face with it," Harris said. A film and screen studies major with double minors in creative writing and journalism and digital storytelling, she hopes to find future success as a screenwriter and novelist. "I applied to the fellowship in hopes that it would provide instructive or mentoring experience within different fields of writing beyond what's available in a classroom, and give me a greater sense of connection to the school I'm graduating from," Harris said. Jada Henry '21 For Jada Henry, storytelling is a way to recount memories and reorganize them through a different lens. She describes her writing as "naturalistic" and "abstract," as she tries to keep the realism in her stories while also incorporating unorthodox themes. "I've always been connected to storytelling," she said. "I continuously try to keep a sense of reality so that the stories I write are like that of old friends reminiscing over whacky memories." When Henry isn't capturing her memories on paper, she spends her time as secretary of Pace's multimedia club, POP TV. The film and screen studies major is also a fourth-year Women's Leadership Initiative mentor and recently celebrated the publication of her first fictional thriller, The Principles of Good Taste and Ornament. "As a creator, often the biggest obstacle is yourself, so I am thrilled to have a piece of work I am proud of to my name," Henry said. Before coming to Pace, Henry had never ventured out of her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. Looking ahead, she intends to pursue screenwriting and acting in the film industry and believes the fellowship is an integral stepping-stone to those dreams.

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