Nova Brown

Nova Brown has been singing in front of crowds almost her entire life, starting at about 5 at her hometown church in Miami. While she got into theatre as a kid and into her teen years, she didn't do much acting or dancing and craved becoming a triple threat. Michigan seemed like the perfect training ground.

"It allowed me to explore musical theatre and so much more beyond that," she said. Michigan allowed her to nurture her passion for social justice and have a rigorous academic experience on top of her development as an artist. She minored in Mandarin and performing arts management and studied abroad in China last summer.

At senior showcase, Brown performed in the only duet number, alongside classmate Zoltan Berencsi, in a cheeky, dance-heavy mashup of hits from the 1930s and '70s that they dubbed "Enough Stormy Love," featuring "Stormy Weather," "I Wish I Were in Love Again" and "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)". Berencsi had been the emcee to Brown's Sally in a college production of Cabaret, and they worked well together. She wanted a number that was upbeat and fun and told a story. She described the result as a "weird amalgamation" that hit all the marks.

For Brown, receiving the Eisenberg Award means extra support as she enters the "real world," and she was honored to win it with friends.

"Aaron, Nick and Vanessa are people I admire so much," she said. "To be admired alongside them gives me a lot of pride in the work that I did."

Brown is moving to New York in the next few months, to capture the momentum coming out of showcase and figure out what her life as an artist will look like. She especially draws inspiration from African Diasporic styles like jazz vocalizations and West African dance, and she wants to continue to explore them no matter what job she holds.

"As long as I'm surrounded by community and ensuring that I'm adding to the world rather than taking away from it, that's what makes me feel fulfilled as a person regardless of whether I'm booking on Broadway all the time," she said.

"I want to say thank you to all the people who have supported me up till now," she said. "My amazing professors at the university, my peers at the university as well as my own family, in particular, my parents. My own ancestors live and breathe and work through me. To all the amazing different cultures that have shaped the artist I am today and all the people I have interacted with who have shaped me."

Vanessa Dominguez

Vanessa Dominguez says she was bit by the acting bug in the sixth grade, but she also felt born to perform. She comes from a long line of women who sing, though none of them pursued it professionally. To her, making it her career was not only a passion but a sign of respect.

"There's such a legacy of performing that I get to uphold now, so I carry that with me every time I perform," she said.

Dominguez was off to a strong start, competing on American Idol when she was 15 and making it to the top 40. She had an unconventional academic career as a teen in Florida, switching to community college her junior year of high school and using the flexible schedule to act in local professional theatre. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to earn a college degree; she had an agent and apartment lined up in New York City for when she was 18. But then to her surprise she got into Michigan, and she put her adult career on hold to pursue her BFA.

"I tried to opt for the scarier option," she said. "I knew that if I didn't try Michigan, I'd regret not knowing what it could have been."

College was challenging, especially that first year, as she pushed herself as a student (8 a.m. piano class was a lot) and navigated the social dynamics of the program. Her breakthrough was when she was cast in the late Gavin Creel's musical Loud Nite. She finally found her groove and a sense of community, and she got to ask Creel for advice.

"Keep pushing through; you'll make it out fine," she recalls him saying. And she did, making more friendships and continuing to hone her craft.

When Dominguez learned she was receiving the Eisenberg Award, she thought about both the ups and the downs that brought her to that moment.

"Having had a non-linear college experience compared to my peers, receiving an award like that which acknowledges the belief that that person is going to do good things in the industry, that was very healing, honestly," she said. "All the hard work and all the tough moments I've been through during my years here are being acknowledged. Someone saw me."

Dominguez closed out senior showcase with a rendition of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Jim Steinman. She had expected to pick a ballad, her go-to in performance, but the head of the musical theatre program pointed out that Dominguez is funny and should display that in her number.

"It's a really good song and I imagined that could be easily turned into something without becoming a bit," she said. The number walked that line, earning laughs while still showcasing Dominguez's strong vocals.

Dominguez has gigs lined up for the summer and then hopes to finally move to New York in the fall. She already has a strong social media presence, which she sees as part of her creative career that she would like to professionalize.

"I live in this mindset of 'no one's going do it for me; I have to do it for myself," she said. "Social media is one thing I can control and something I get to build."

The time has finally come for that adult life she had decided to wait for.

"I've been auditioning and trying to be a part of the industry for many years now," she said, but her education always came first. "For the first time, I'll be fully available... Something's going to strike soon, and I'm very excited to see what that is."

Aaron Syi

As a proud first-generation Korean American, Aaron Syi grew up in Queens, New York immersed in Korean language and culture. While he sang at church and always loved performing, he was unfamiliar with a lot of Western culture, including musical theatre.

"I always felt like I was late to the game for everything," he said.

When Syi was accepted to The Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts as a voice major, he was surprised that he loved singing classical music, and he fell in love with musical theatre. He was cast in the chorus of the school's production of Cinderella, and with his one line ("She just disappeared!") he was hooked.

Syi further explored his craft through the non-profit YoungArts, which led to applying to Michigan. When he got in, he was thrilled. But when he got there, he often struggled with imposter syndrome, and the school's encouragement of students to live as independently as possible challenged him. But there was a strong support network, from his peers to the faculty, that helped get him through.

"It's really nice when you get to fall on your face and make mistakes," he said. "There's a sense of accepting that we're all just humans and we're all doing this for the first time. I learned so much about how I love connecting with people and I realized why I do musical theatre: It's all in service for other people."

Syi regarded a college class he took about gratitude as transformative.

"That's what separates a lot of Michigan people," he said, the focus on "how to lead with gratitude and remember that the best artists are exciting to collaborate and create with."

Receiving the Eisenberg Award was validation that the faculty had seen how he had grown over his time at school.

"It's such a sign I've been doing good work and made the most of my college career, and my professors saw that for me," he said.

While Syi had benefited from scholarships throughout his time at school, one more on the way out the door felt especially like a blessing, and when he researched past recipients, he was impressed.

"There are so many actors that I look up to and people that I knew from their performances," he said. "I was so honored to be a part of this lineage."

With preparations for showcase underway, Syi knew he wanted to do a pop number, something that would be fun for him above showcasing his full technical range. "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" by Shawn Mendes was a longtime favorite, and while at first he dismissed it as a "silly idea," with his classmates' and faculty's encouragement, he leaned into it, landing on a take that allowed for spontaneity and joy.

Syi also enjoyed providing backup vocals and movement in other numbers at the showcase, which tapped into the energy of messing around with his college friends. Once again, that sense of community was key.

Syi is back in New York with Broadway on his mind (or film, TV, voiceover or any other opportunities he discovers), and he has already done a workshop at The Public Theater.

"Those workshop spaces are so special, to be asked to be in a room, to just bring what you bring and make something together; I think that's so fun and so rewarding," he said. "I love the rush of having to learn music in one day."

Syi also wants to use this post-college time pick up more hobbies.

"I'm just open to whatever the world will bring me and I'm just excited," he said. "My main goal is to broaden my horizons outside of theatre as well and discover what I like and meet new people."

As Syi leaves his Michigan community, at least physically, he is excited to build a new one for this next chapter, now with more confidence and tools to succeed.

"Now that I graduated, I learned that I got in there for a reason," he said. "They wanted me there for a reason. They saw potential... I think going to Michigan was the biggest blessing."

Nicholas Wilkinson

Nicholas Wilkinson grew up in Atlanta, where the public school system exposes students to the arts; Ballethnic Dance Company had a particularly strong impact on him. He started dancing in fourth grade but didn't sing or act. Then, in his sophomore year of high school, he was cast as Cinderella's prince and the Wolf in Into the Woods, and he caught the theatre bug.

"I thought, this what I want to do the rest of my life," he said.

Immediately after closing the show, the COVID shutdown began, and he dedicated that time to working with educators, at first remotely, to explore a future theatre career. Eventually, he worked at Chick-fil-A to pay for vocal lessons.

Wilkinson applied for all the top musical theatre programs, and he auditioned for Michigan with "Let It Sing" from Violet, not knowing that then–department chair Michael McElroy originated the role off-Broadway. It was fate, and he dove into college headfirst.

"Any program has its ups and downs, but I believe the ups and downs of college come from internal things and figuring out what it means to be an adult for the first time," he said. "When it comes to an artistic standpoint, Michigan is incredible." His university highlights were at times surreal, including getting to sing "What Is It About Her" from The Wild Party in front of songwriter Andrew Lippa and talking out his imposter syndrome with Brian d'Arcy James.

Receiving the Eisenberg Award was a great support to Wilkinson financially, and emotionally, the news came at the perfect time.

"Second semester senior year was really hard for me because of the self-doubt of, 'Am I ready?,'" he said. "Even if I don't think that I'm ready, there are other people who do believe that I'm ready. There can't be people who believe in me more than I believe in me."

Wilkinson took this award to mean, "You got here for a reason. There are no mistakes. You have to keep doing the work and you'll be fine."

Senior showcase was certainly a time to do the work. Wilkinson put a ton of thought into picking his number, scrapping multiple early choices. He was searching for something that would let him "educate and elevate."

He scrolled through every playlist on his phone until he came upon "I'll Be Satisfied" by Jackie Wilson. Reading the lyrics, he thought, "that's it."

"That's my love letter to the industry," he said. "Just let me do my thing and we'll have a good time together."

The number was smooth but energetic, in voice and movement alike. The pick paid off; Wilkinson came away from senior showcase with representation. He is also booked in shows at The Muny all summer. After that, it's home to Georgia for a combo graduation/birthday/rent party to help fund his move to New York.

"And after that," he said, "We'll see."