Scholarships success for college students
THE exceptional talent of Loughborough College actors has been recognised with no fewer than three being offered major scholarships.
Auditions identifying Katie Grimley, Leah Vanmali and Elizabeth Hinds as having ‘the most potential to succeed in the profession’ have resulted in the performing arts students receiving Dance and Drama Awards (DaDAs) – providing thousands of pounds of financial support towards their degree studies.
The trio will be heading to the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA), joining the leading drama school’s alumni who have found major success in Hollywood and the West End.
Katie, 18, who will be heading to the drama school’s north campus near Manchester to study for a BA (Hons) in acting, said: “I have to say a huge thank you to Loughborough College because it was the performing arts teachers who really inspired me to be an actor and gave me the confidence to keep going.”
Leah Vanmali, also 18, from Loughborough, will be attending the London campus to study for a BA (Hons) in acting. She said: “It is an incredible opportunity but I simply couldn’t have done this without the DaDA – and the award means I don’t have to worry.”
Melanie Potts, performing arts lecturer at Loughborough College, said: “This is an outstanding achievement for Katie, Leah and Lizzie. Only a handful of Awards are offered to students in the whole country and they are reserved for those who show exceptional talent and potential - and three of our students have secured those scholarships.”
The three actors were among seven college students who auditioned for ALRA with all seven being offered places. But while Katie, Leah and Lizzie will all be heading off to ALRA in September, Beccie Hales, Holly Baird and Sharna Morris have decided to take a gap year to work and save, and Kathryn Meneely has accepted a place at Arts University of Bournemouth to study for a BA (Hons) acting.