Amina Vargas is only the third student from Duke Ellington School of the Arts to be accepted to the Alvin Ailey Program at Fordham University. She says it was quite the application process, including a picture and resumé, an academic application to Fordham, and a live audition, but that Duke Ellington prepared her well. “When I got here, I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but it’s been an uphill climb. We work hard here, and we’re passionate about what we do.” Her dual-enrollment class at Howard University also gave her a reality check when her professor wouldn’t accept a paper that was five minutes late. “It showed me what to expect, and it stepped up my game.” Amina plans to study pre-health at Fordham, and can’t wait to be surrounded by the diversity of New York City, which she calls the “best place a dancer can be.” Juniors in the programs are guaranteed an audition for Ailey’s second company, which is what she plans to do. While she’s excited for college, she’ll miss the sense of family at Duke Ellington, a school that she says fosters not just young artists and creative thinkers, but “leaders in the arts community and the DC community in general.” #DCPSGoesToCollege
