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Portland Observer
Online
‘City of Roses’
Volume XLV
Number 22
A Streetcar
Named Desire
Convicted by
Mistake
Black cast gives
masterpiece
new meaning
Documentary
sparks a
conversation
See A&E, page 10
See Opinionated
Judge, page 5
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • June 1, 2016
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Lofty Dreams and Aspirations
Jefferson
student
graduates
to Juilliard
photo by C ervante p ope /t he p ortland o bserver
Sekai Edwards, a graduating senior at Jefferson High School and a student enrolled in the mentoring organization Self En-
hancement, Inc., has been accepted to attend the prestigious Juilliard School in New York to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree in acting.
by C ervante p ope
t he p ortland o bserver
While most people aren’t strangers to
possessing lofty dreams and aspirations,
many are estranged with the reality of
achieving their passions. Such isn’t the
case for 18-year-old Jefferson High School
student Sekai Abeni Edwards, who has just
been accepted into the fall drama program
at the prestigious Juilliard School in New
York.
Born into a family of creative types,
Sekai already has a wealth of experience
and awards under her belt, like being
named Youth Poet Laureate for Portland,
earning the Young, Gifted and Black award
from Portland Public Schools and perform-
ing in the arts on a regular basis since her
third grade enrollment in the Portland The-
atre Brigade.
“I would love to have a career in stage
and independent ilm. Both are making a
lot of strides right now, by starting to tell
very interesting stories that I could actually
be cast in, as opposed to 15 years ago when
there weren’t as many places for black
women to be in unless it was the sidekick
or the hooker on the story. There weren’t
very many stories about us, we were just
characters of humans,” says Sekai.
Her activeness in the realm of theatrics
also led her to other facets of expression
like dance and poetry, though her strong
passion for drama and support from Self
Enhancement, Inc. (SEI), the educational
and family support organization serving
Portland’s black community.
SEI’s Whole School Model mentorship
program helped guide Sekai towards Juil-
liard, despite her feeling like she wouldn’t
get in.
There is a four-step application process
for Juilliard, including three in-person au-
ditions. With only about a seven percent
C ontinued on p age 4