Congratulations are extended to Sarah Woodham, a 2013 graduate of UTT’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design programme who has received a scholarship to attend the prestigious Yale School of Drama, where she will pursue the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) postgraduate degree in Costume Design Concentration. Sarah credits her time at UTT’s Caribbean Academy of Fashion and Design with having provided her “the foundational skills to pursue this Costume Design programme at Yale, as the programme gave me an understanding of construction, the history of design and the necessary skills to produce a good portfolio for submission.”

Sarah also credits her experience with UTT’s uSTART, the first University-originated Business Incubator facility in the nation, as it helped her to develop her business A.M.E.N. Printhouse, which she co-manages with her mom - artist, textile designer and former UTT staff member, Greer Jones-Woodham. According to Sarah, “uSTART helped developed the business and this business is where I will receive the additional 2% needed to fund my studies at Yale”.

The Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional conservatory offering advanced training in every theatrical discipline of the art form. The institution aims to advance leaders to raise the standards of global professional practice, creating bold art that astonishes the mind, challenges the heart, and delights the senses.

Below, Sarah chronicles her journey leading to her acceptance and scholarship award:

“Two years ago I worked on a play called "an echo in the bone” for the Trinidad Theatre Workshop as the costume designer and wardrobe manager. It was there that I met Winston Duke and Timmia Hearn-Feldman, both graduates of the Yale school of Drama. I would talk to them about my dreams of being a costume designer for Cirque du Soleil and they encouraged me to enter into the design programme at Yale. I set that dream aside for a year to help my mother co-manage a silk screen printing business called A.M.E.N. Printhouse. There, I would design patterns, silk-screen print them, design clothing and accessories and make them. 

In the meantime, I did my research on the school and fell in love with their dedication to equal opportunities for education. Though highly competitive, they have a very good scholarship programme. I appreciated that there seemed to be an understanding that sometimes those who have the desire, talent and drive to learn and do the work, do not always come with perfect funding. I knew that this was the school for me.

It was only last December that I said to myself that I was going to take a month, just one month, to produce an in-depth portfolio and apply to Yale. I even did a Caribbean carnival and folklore version of a Midsummer Night's Dream with calypso king and queen, Papa Bois and Mama D'leau. Much of my work was based on my Caribbean context; I wanted to share with the school the essence of my aesthetics and I think that's part of what set me apart. It was a lot of work but I made the deadline. I didn't realise how competitive it was until I saw that they have a 5% acceptance rate and space for less than ten (10) people per year group, four (4) of which were set aside for costume design students. To tell the truth, I almost didn't get into Yale. At first I was not accepted. I was indeed disappointed but with some advice from my parents I took it in stride. I thanked the school for the time taken to review my portfolio and made sure to ask for any critique on my work that might help me develop a stronger portfolio for future applications. I thought that was it but, a month later, I received news that I had been accepted into the school based on the recommendation of the Admissions Committee. I don't know how or what happened but I am glad that it has led me to this point. I am excited to see what these three (3) years will have in store for me.

The scholarship pays for 98% of my tuition, books, supplies and living expenses.  It consists mostly of a scholarship and then a work study, a stipend and a unit loan directly from the school. The other two percent will be supplemented by my family [and me]”.

The UTT family congratulates Sarah and wishes her all success as she represents herself, her family, UTT and Trinidad and Tobago in this next chapter of her academic life.  Sarah will commence her studies at the Yale School of Drama in September, 2015.

Sarah Woodham, UTT graduate and Yale Drama School scholarship recipient