=AUSTIN A.

VENTURA
1745 Hood Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 (C) 504-377-8881
aventura729@outlook.com

As I started in theatre, I was discouraged from fully committing to a career

in acting out of fear. I was told, “Pick another career,” “Have fun being
poor,” and “You’re wasting your time.” My career got started, thanks to my
acting professor, Rick Holben, who pushed me to pursue a theatre
performance degree after I took his acting II class. I was skeptical at first,
but his persistence and constant enthusiasm persuaded me to fully invest
myself in the theatre department. During the class, Rick would ask a
frequent question: “Who are you?” This question stuck with me through my
entire collegiate career. It felt like every faculty member and student would
ask me this question daily. To find the answer, my instructors and peers
offered a wise piece of advice: believe in yourself. Once I began to
recognize the support I had from my faculty and peers, I began to believe in
my abilities. I spent three and a half years as a student in the LSU School of
Theatre, and each day, I was encouraged to meet each challenge head-on
with lessons I learned from the previous day. As my self-awareness and
confidence grew, I knew that I had more to give to this program than I had
initially thought. A performer needs to work hard, be driven, make others
excited about the tasks at hand, and help other peers realize their potential.
So, who am I? I am Austin Ventura—a positive, driven, and kind person
who strives to better the people around me. I am applying for LSU’s MFA
Acting program because I believe I still have lots of room to grow as a
performer and person. But most importantly, I know I can help people
believe in themselves as my mentors in this program have done for me.

While LSU’s MFA Acting program will allow me to make the connections
necessary to succeed in the professional world, this is not my priority;
learning is my priority. I have a desire to take the lessons I learned
throughout my collegiate career and enhance them through this program.
Learning, to me, is one of the most important aspects of being a performer.
Many people think that once they reach the professional level, they are done
learning and have no more room to grow. This idea is false. Every performer
always has room to grow. And every actor should be growing daily. This
program provides a rigorous amount of work physically, emotionally, and
mentally, and I couldn’t be more excited to rise to the challenge. I want to
struggle and push through new obstacles. While I would be pushed to make
difficult but bold leaps in my abilities, I would feel comfortable in this
atmosphere because I would get to learn in a place that I love. I want to be
here and grow around my family and friends. Many people wish they had
the chance to do so. I have the rare opportunity to enrich my skills in an
environment I call home, and I want to grab on to it.

There is another part of the program I want to take advantage of, aside from
my own education; I want to guide undergraduate students. I have always
embraced being a role model and a coach, sharing my knowledge to better
others. I want to play a role in their development as actors, but more
importantly, in their development as people. I am ecstatic knowing that I
could have the chance to help students learn and grow. And the best part is
that while they would learn from me, I would also be constantly learning
from them. Combining what I learn in the classroom as a graduate student
and what I learn as an undergraduate educator, I will have every opportunity
to succeed. There will be tough times and I will fail, but knowing that I can
effect change serves as my motivation to keep moving forward.

When I met with Kristin, she told me that she would usually advise people
to complete their graduate program in a different place from where they
completed their undergraduate work, but that I am an exception. I want to be
here, and I am passionate about bettering this program and myself. Initially, I
was nervous about the prospect of joining this program; however, as I
thought about it, I realized that I am ready to take this next step. LSU is
where I am supposed to be, and for the first time in my life, I feel like I
belong. I whole-heartedly choose to commit to a career in theatre.