The time I spent at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was life changing. As cliche as that sounds, it was life changing because the training was not only one of the highest quality of any Drama School but because of the people I trained with and met from doing the course. I have made so many connections into the industry and friends who will always and have been a great support into the industry. The boost it’s given me into the profession in terms of training, confidence and financial aid is something not everyone is lucky to get and I was fortunate enough to receive. I always maintained that the Scholarship allowed me to not really worry about money and never more have I felt the full effects of that after having left  Drama School. Being given the scholarship has helped me feel much more secure and focused in relation to auditions above all else. To know I never have to pay the money back is a real blessing that I will always be forever grateful for. The most valuable thing I’ve taken away is of course the expertise of many great tutors and actors, but to have also solidified a drive, confidence and willingness to succeed in a very over saturated profession has to be the greatest thing. It probably should have, but I’m not fearful of going into the profession as I’m very understanding of the difficulty and strain it poses mentally and also financially but being given a push from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has filled me with a confidence that nothing could replace. I recently finished my first professional job in which I played the title role of ‘Aladdin’ in the Newbury Corn Exchanges pantomime. It was an unbelievable experience in which I’ve learnt many a thing from already. One being the basics in how to look after myself when doing many shows a week, and the stamina which is required to keep performing at your best without damaging the voice or body. Applying everything I’ve learnt in training to the art form was also a great challenge. Words will never be able to fully thank the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation enough but I will never forget and always be grateful for the generosity given to me and how it has helped.