My name is Dana Saville and I am 50 years old.

I recently graduated from Five Keys Charter School in

Vallejo, California and received my high school diploma last December. My teacher, Carla Nelson, and I
talked about me continuing my education by enrolling in a community college to earn an associates in
art degree, because of my love for art. Then last March I received an email from Carla with information
on the Annual Academy of Arts University Presidential Scholarship for Five Keys Charter School
graduates. I believe that I fit the criteria with a grade point average of 3.25 and a serious interest in
becoming a career artist. This scholarship is the chance of a lifetime for me to develop my artistic skills
and build an impressive portfolio as I earn a degree in the best art schools in the world.

The first thing I had to think about was whether or not this is a realistic and achievable goal for me going
to a four- year college with its rigorous, full time schedule. Then I thought about how overwhelmed I
was two years ago when I enrolled in the Five Keys Charter School to earn my high school diploma. I
thought I would never complete 85 credits I needed to graduate high school. I am so proud of myself for
getting my diploma and given this chance to make something of myself even if it is this late in my life.

So here I am at this point in my life and at 50 I still have so much to learn about the world. Continuing
my education at,” The Fine Art School of the Academy of Arts” is a step in the right direction. When I
started painting and drawing, I remember my whole world changed because I started looking at things
around me differently and noticing every detail. Since then, with a lot of practice, I have improved over
time. As a self- taught artist, I learned what I know by trial and error and experimenting with brushes,
paints or whatever I had at the moment. I would say my skills as an artist is that of a novice with a lot of
room for improvement. I still need to find and develop my own style. With my passion for art and my
eagerness to learn, I would take everything this school has to offer me at its full potential. I know I would
succeed because I would give it my all. I want to be taught by professional artists and gain hands-on
experience in a creative environment like The Academy of Arts Fine Art School. I hope to expand my
artistic skills as I earn my Associates in Arts degree, specializing in painting. Maybe later on I will be
confident enough to earn my Bachelor’s degree, but right now it this is a good start.

Now that I have established what I want to study and what kind of degree I want, I have to ask myself,”
What kind of jobs are out there for people with an associate’s degree in fine arts?” In my research I
found hundreds of job titles but one that stuck in my mind as a realistic prospect and that was teaching
art but art education is not my first choice as a major. Maybe five years from now I can see myself as an
art teacher but right now I want to focus on growing as an artist because I still have so much to learn. I
need to learn things like aesthetical details of art, techniques and terminology of the art world just to
start. As far as careers in the fine art goes, there are so many options out there for career artists with an
Associate’s degree. Until then I just want to learn everything there is to know about art.

I hope what I have told you about me and my goals are enough to be considered for this scholarship.
This college is a dream come true for someone like me. As soon as I read a quote from a letter from
admissions saying, “We teach the students to develop the habits and the mindset to make a living from
their creative genius”, I knew this was the place for me.