Julia Zuppa was a shy six-year-old when she first came to Ottawa School of Theatre. Over the following ten years, she has gained confidence, friends, and countless memories. Now, at 16, Julia has decided to pay it forward.
In 2023, Julia founded Kids in the Spotlight, a fund which will award five students ages 6-12 the opportunity to attend one week of camp for free.
“I was inspired to create this scholarship because I wanted to help empower other students to find their own voices and build confidence in who they are as people,” says Julia.
When reflecting on her own experience, Julia is the first to mention how important theatre education has been to her. Unlike other extracurricular activities, OST has allowed her to learn a huge variety of skills, including learning to be comfortable and confident in her own skin.
“I am so grateful I’ve been able to grow up in such a supportive environment,” Julia explains. “I think theatre education is important because it teaches you things you can’t learn anywhere else. I feel so grateful that I’ve been able to experience theatre and all its fantastic benefits and I wanted to be able to spread that joy with as many kids as possible. Theatre taught me how to get out of my shell and I wanted to be able to help other children do that too!”
“My scholarship aims to help new kids each summer. This way, as many kids as possible are able to experience all the theatre camp fun.”
Summer 2024 will be the first summer students will be awarded the opportunity to attend summer camp thanks to Kids in the Spotlight. In the award’s first year, it will be giving five children the chance to attend summer camp, however, Julia sees that number growing in the future. “As the summer’s go on, I hope to receive even more donations so I can send even more kids to camp for free. The more kids I can send the better!”
“I am so excited for what is to come and I can’t wait for the first ever batch of kids this summer.”
Applications for Kids in the Spotlight closes March 8, 2024.
If you would like to contribute to the Kids in the Spotlight fund, please visit our Donate page for more information.