 | Abigail Mansfield has received consecutive Bruce & Suzie Kovner/ThanksUSA scholarships totaling $6,000 for Musical Theatre and Dance majors at Shorter University. The daughter of an Army National Guardsman, Abigail found the performing arts to be a positive way to deal with separation and worry during her father's deployments. She hopes to use her education to create a safe environment for children to escape chaos in their own lives and learn self-confidence, teamwork, and communication skills through theater. |
| A rising junior, Abigail is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and enjoys tutoring fellow students in Music Theory and English. She has served as musical director and choreographer for multiple children’s productions and worked as Resident Costume Designer at Gaston School for the Arts. She has also earned recognition for her roles as Seamstress, Stock Manager, and Organizer at the Shorter University Costume Shop. During the 2015-2016 academic year, Abigail performed in the musicals Death takes a Holiday and Showboat. She was cast in an original Commedia del Arte troupe during the fall and most recently acted in Shorter's production of The Imaginary Invalid. Abigail will continue to build her resume this summer as she joins the Liberty Mountain Company in North Carolina. Not only will she be performing in Liberty Mountain: The Revolutionary Drama, but she will also serve as the company's wardrobe supervisor. Although Abigail's career goal is to become a professional performer, her long-term goal is to open a family-friendly community theater where she can teach children life skills through theatre arts. "Thank you so much for awarding me the Bruce & Suzie Kovner/ThanksUSA scholarship. Taking away financial burden means the world to me and I am thrilled to continue my college education and training for my profession." |
