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Mukamajule Michelo What I love and appreciate about Trusts like this is that they give a chance to those in need. When I applied, I was in need of help in order to complete my final year for Drama School and settle into the hard work and fun involved in creating theatre. The Kieran Taylor Trust made it very accessible to apply to them and ask for monetary help and mentorship. The questions asked allowed me to be specific in what I was asking for and to think about my future within the arts and where I want my career to go. I was allocated a mentor in addition to my grant, and this helped me in a massive way. When going through hard times I know that it always helps when someone is there to simply listen to you – half the time that’s all you need. I had that with my mentor – after my showcase performance with my Drama School I was feeling down and confused and it was hard for me to keep my going and my meeting with my mentor provided me with that boost of knowledge and confidence! Seeing someone and speaking to someone who looks like me and is in the same profession – proving that this job can be done – was honestly life changing and allowed me to take a deep breath and continue with my training with revitalised hope and vigour. Being able to pop my mentor a question about agent representation was fantastic and then being able to invite her to my upcoming show was brilliant too! I felt entirely supported to have her in the audience that night – with my family in Northern Ireland it was comforting to know that she was there to support me when my family couldn’t. I hope that one day I will be able to mentor someone myself as the listening ear, advice and presence that my own mentor gave me is invaluable and I hope to continue to learn and grow alongside her. I want to share a quick story about something my mother always reminds me of; my departure away from Zambia and subsequently my father. My dad had us all in a huddle in Lusaka Airport and he was crying and my brother and sister were upset and very aware that this was a big move – I had freshly turned six. My dad turned to all of us and asked, “Will you miss me?” My brother turned around and agreed that he would, with tears in his eyes and fear in his chest; my sister followed suite as she clutched her dress – they both watched as our father broke down in front of our eyes and they wanted so badly to soothe him so they turned to my dad and said ‘We won’t leave you! We want to stay.” My father turned to me, feeling a little comforted by their responses and he asked me the same question. “Mukamajule, you will miss me. Won’t you?” I looked up at him simply and said without hesitation. “I’m going anyway.” I wanted to share this because when applying for this grant, I had a big think about my life so far and the thoughts of Sacrifice, Will and Fulfilment came to mind. I’ve always wanted to Act and have always done so – from primary school plays to secondary school productions – to running the drama club – heading the ‘Acting’ part of the school Extravaganza in my final year, then heading off to University to study Acting and Performance and then embarking on the epic journey of Drama school for another three years. Sacrifice hasn’t been as taxing to me as it could have been, as it has never felt like a sacrifice – it’s always felt like the ‘thing to do’ because I’ve always wanted to make this life work for myself. I do this by asking for help and the KTST Trust was able to provide that help in spades! I never would have been able to meet and speak to my mentor and have the opportunity to develop a relationship with her - the trust gave me such an opportunity and I want to express my thanks and hope that one day I will be given that opportunity to pay it forward too. I would have struggled with completing my final year- the KTST Trust gave me the opportunity to complete it – and now I am in my final few weeks of drama school – a journey that has had its ups and downs but one that I wouldn’t trade for the world! And I would have never known the true power of a group of people providing opportunities to those in need. The community and sense of belonging it brings. I feel incredibly honoured to have received the KTST Grant for it has changed my life and allowed me to keep on striving and loving this Art form we call Acting. Opportunity comes in different forms and when my former mentor and now friend brought this trust to my attention (an offer that I will forever be grateful for) I decided to run with it and I am so happy that I did because I know how hard it is to believe in oneself and when you can have a team like the Kieran Taylor Trust supporting you and a mentor advising you, your dreams become ambitions, then goals and then reality and this profession, this life, this art form is a reality that I am so thankful to live within.