"I was so close to walking away during my first two years here," says Lillie. "It's been a struggle financially, and these scholarships have meant a lot to me and my family."

Lillie is the current recipient of the Florence R. Hecht Scholarship in the Arts, established by long-time member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees, Florence Hecht, and the Priscilla J. Schneller Scholarship.

A native of Long Island, New York, Lillie chose the University of Miami because of the strength of the Musical Theatre program. It is a highly competitive conservatory-based program, where students must audition to be accepted. Because of its low student/teacher ratio, every student receives personal attention and every student gets the opportunity to perform.

"It's very intense," says Lillie. "My class began with 22 students, and now four years later, only 8 of us are graduating. During that time, though, we've become a close-knit family."

Throughout her years at the University, she has been in four productions at the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre on the Coral Gables campus, and will be playing the part of Maria in "Twelfth Night" which runs from April 11 - 19th. After graduation, Lillie plans on returning to New York, and begin auditioning for acting roles.

"I'm not picky about the work I get," says Lillie. "I just want to get my foot in the door."

With graduation only one month away, Lillie is thankful for the scholarships that enabled her to complete her college education.

"Having that extra financial help took the stress off of me and my family," says Lillie. "It helped me focus on my studies, instead of worrying about not being able to pay my expenses. I am very, very grateful."

- Michelle Valencia