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Former Orangeburg resident Juwuan Hill was accepted to Julliard.

When he was just 8 years old, Juwuan Hill stepped into the spotlight and never looked back.

“He was always different and animated,” said his mother, Orangeburg native Dana Dash-Hill. “We moved to Virginia when Juwuan was in the third grade. We knew he loved singing in the choir, but his father, Jwanza Hill, and I were shocked when he wanted to try acting. We allowed him to audition for a local community theatre company. He fell in love with it.”

In ninth grade, the budding performer was accepted into the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. While there, he was exposed to various actors, directors and producers who visited the school regularly as guest speakers. Most memorable were famed entertainers Tyler Perry and Juilliard alumnus Corey Hawkins.

The Juilliard School is a world-renowned performing arts college in New York City.

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“Ever since I learned that there was a Juilliard, it has been my dream to attend the school,” Hill said.

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As a sophomore, he transferred to Charles J. Colgan Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. And in 2019, Juwuan was awarded a scholarship to study abroad at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England.

During his senior year at Charles J. Colgan, tragedy struck twice. COVID-19 ravaged the world and Juwuan’s maternal grandmother, Idella Crawford, was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer.

“My mother traveled to Virginia to attend almost all of his plays since Juwuan began acting. She might have missed two. He was her baby. And she was his biggest supporter,” Hill’s mother recounted.

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Hill moved to Orangeburg to help care for his grandmother while working as a manager at Burger King and attending school virtually.

Although Juilliard was his first choice, Hill applied to and was accepted into several colleges and was awarded thousands of dollars in scholarship money. He considered accepting one of the offers. But his grandmother encouraged him to “follow his passion”. Each year, Juilliard accepts only 19 of the thousands of applicants. Hill thought his chances of being accepted were “slim to none.” But Crawford encouraged him to apply with her words and her wallet. She paid the application fee.

“You’re gonna go. I believe in you.” she would tell him. Unfortunately, during the audition process, Crawford succumbed to her battle with cancer.

Sixty days later, Hill was contacted by a representative from Juilliard stating that he had been accepted. He was offered a scholarship package that only covered about half of the total expenses of his first year. To raise money to cover the additional $35,000 for tuition and housing costs, Hill started a GoFundMe campaign. Through the magic of social media, the effort raised $15,000 in four days. Several news stations in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area featured the budding performer’s story and donations came pouring in.

“Random strangers have given. I can’t explain the magnitude of people who say `’I don’t know you, but here’s $2 or $5.’”

Recently, Hill exceeded his fundraising goal and is planning to use the extra donations and scholarship monies for his sophomore year. His goal is to become a resident assistant in a couple of years to alleviate housing costs. According to his plans, Hill will complete his bachelor’s degree without accruing any student loan debt.

Hill credits his spiritual foundation for his success, deeming Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” as his favorite quote. The young actor hopes to make his mark on the world as a “versatile, well-rounded artist” similarly to South Carolina natives Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis, who is also a Juilliard alumnus.

“My ultimate goal is to become a professional actor. But I’m not just an actor. I sing. I want to produce. I want to step into the industry and break boundaries for the Black community,” he said.

Hill will move to New York and begin orientation at Juilliard in August.

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“I didn’t think things like this were possible. Until it happened,” he said.

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