ARTICLE
Janiyah McAllister, a 2023 graduate of Harrison School for the Arts, won the fourth annual Betsye Kay Finch Performing Arts Scholarship on May 23. McAllister fell in love with musical theatre in middle school, performing in The Lion King Jr. “Hearing the audience roar at curtain call became one of my favorite sounds,” said McAllister, 17, of Davenport, FL. Recently, McAllister starred as Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and received accolades and a scholarship for her performance at the 2022 National High School Musical Theatre Awards at the Minskoff Theatre in NYC, representing the Straz Center in Tampa. As student body president of Harrison School for the Arts, McAllister worked “to highlight the value of diverse races, ethnicities, and cultures.” She said being “one of a few students of color in a performing arts school” helped her to “embrace” her difference rather than allow it to hold her back. In her spare time, she has volunteered as a tutor for elementary and middle school students, organized food drives and performed at public events including the Polk County School Board and the NAACP. McAllister describes herself as “goal oriented.” “Even at the age of ten, I was asking myself questions like, ‘Am I on the right path?’” While she pursued many interests in high school, including graphic arts, marketing and communication, her passion for musical theatre led her to pursue a BM in Music Theatre at Baldwin Wallace University, Music Conservatory in Berea, OH. The Betsye Kay Finch Foundation’s $2,500 scholarship will help her do so. A National Honor Society member, McAllister said that growing up “in a world of music, artistic freedom and creation” helped her realize her dreams. Helping students realize their dreams was the goal of dance teacher Betsye Kay Finch, in whose memory the scholarship was initiated. Ms. Finch, of Lakeland, taught jazz, ballet and modern dance at Betsye Kay’s School of Dance for three decades. She performed in local musicals and raised funds for Polk County arts organizations. Ms. Finch passed away at 92 in 2019. Her daughter, Alexis Rocker, launched the BKF Performing Arts Foundation to celebrate her mother’s joy of dance and music. The Foundation awards annual scholarships for Polk County high school seniors aspiring musical theatre students and dancers. For more on the Foundation, visit https://www.bkfperformingarts.org/.
Janiyah McAllister, a 2023 graduate of Harrison School for the Arts, won the fourth annual Betsye Kay Finch Performing Arts Scholarship on May 23. McAllister fell in love with musical theatre in middle school, performing in The Lion King Jr. “Hearing the audience roar at curtain call became one of my favorite sounds,” said McAllister, 17, of Davenport, FL. Recently, McAllister starred as Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and received accolades and a scholarship for her performance at the 2022 National High School Musical Theatre Awards at the Minskoff Theatre in NYC, representing the Straz Center in Tampa.
As student body president of Harrison School for the Arts, McAllister worked “to highlight the value of diverse races, ethnicities, and cultures.” She said being “one of a few students of color in a performing arts school” helped her to “embrace” her difference rather than allow it to hold her back. In her spare time, she has volunteered as a tutor for elementary and middle school students, organized food drives and performed at public events including the Polk County School Board and the NAACP.
McAllister describes herself as “goal oriented.” “Even at the age of ten, I was asking myself questions like, ‘Am I on the right path?’” While she pursued many interests in high school, including graphic arts, marketing and communication, her passion for musical theatre led her to pursue a BM in Music Theatre at Baldwin Wallace University, Music Conservatory in Berea, OH. The Betsye Kay Finch Foundation’s $2,500 scholarship will help her do so. A National Honor Society member, McAllister said that growing up “in a world of music, artistic freedom and creation” helped her realize her dreams.
Helping students realize their dreams was the goal of dance teacher Betsye Kay Finch, in whose memory the scholarship was initiated. Ms. Finch, of Lakeland, taught jazz, ballet and modern dance at Betsye Kay’s School of Dance for three decades. She performed in local musicals and raised funds for Polk County arts organizations. Ms. Finch passed away at 92 in 2019. Her daughter, Alexis Rocker, launched the BKF Performing Arts Foundation to celebrate her mother’s joy of dance and music. The Foundation awards annual scholarships for Polk County high school seniors aspiring musical theatre students and dancers. For more on the Foundation, visit https://www.bkfperformingarts.org/.