Emmy-winning actress Kerry Washington, who received the Equity in Entertainment award last year, took the stage to announce the final two $1 million scholarships to high school students from underserved communities across Los Angeles. The scholarships were handed out to participants in THR's mentorship program, a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles.
00:00I am really excited to be here to return to this stage at this event to celebrate the
00:08graduates of the Hollywood Reporters Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. I just
00:14want to say, and I've said this at this event before, I just want every single one of you
00:18to know that you are a winner. I want every single one of you to know that truly that
00:25we are so honored to be in a room with you and I want you to take that and put it in your heart
00:30for the rest of your career. If you ever have a moment where you walk into a room and you feel
00:34like you don't belong, remember this moment because you are the guest of honor. You belong in
00:39every room that you wind up in. That's why you're there. Okay, so last year, last year it was my
00:50enormous honor to accept the Equity in Entertainment Award this year. Congratulations, Selina. I did
00:56not have a billion dollars when I accepted it, so amazing. I'm so honored to be in your company.
01:05I also, if you'll forgive me, I just want to make a tiny correction and I hope you'll forgive me,
01:10Joe, but I think it's important to say this. The woman sitting next to me is actually not my mom.
01:15So the woman sitting next to me, and it's an easy confusion to make because last year when I was
01:20here getting the award, my mom was here and my aunt was here and the woman sitting next to me,
01:23her name is Catherine Atkinson. She's an extraordinary manager and I want to mention it
01:29in particular in this room because she's been my manager for 35 years. There is so much power
01:39in partnership between women in this business, so I just want to put that out there. Stick with the
01:46people who have your back. Okay, before I announce our winners of the last two scholarships, I want to
01:52thank the organizers and donors whose shared mission makes this mentorship and scholarship program
01:56possible. I am thrilled. Maybe that's not even a big enough word. I am exploding with pride to share
02:03that the Roybal School of Film and Television Magnet, where I am on the advisory board, has joined
02:08as a new partnership school of the mentorship program to create a path for Roybal students
02:13to become future mentees. For the first time, Roybal students are included in the new class of
02:20mentees whose journey begins today. So thank you to Roybal. For those of you who don't know,
02:26we founded Roybal in 2021. The mission of the school here in Los Angeles is to build a more
02:32inclusive pipeline of historically underrepresented kids who are both college and career ready and
02:38interested in film and television industries. So basically, we founded a school so that we could
02:43help people who will hire us one day. We are basically like a performing arts high school for
02:49all the arts that live behind the scenes, and our students are extraordinary. Also, for the third
02:55consecutive year, the Best Buy team and CEO, Corey Berry, have launched a partnership with the mentorship
03:03program that will give mentees access to their Los Angeles Community Impact Hub, a network of 12 teen
03:10tech centers, including locations in South LA, Koreatown, and East LA that provide access to cutting-edge
03:18technology and career exploration opportunities within the creative economy. The teen tech centers
03:24are filled with teens who want to succeed, and the mentorship program will be open to those motivated
03:31members annually, creating again a pipeline for future mentees for the Women in Entertainment mentorship
03:38program. I need to also shout out the Golden Globe Foundation for continuing their generous support
03:45support with a multi-year grant of $50,000 annually through 2025, maybe we do even longer next year,
03:53to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles to support the mentorship program's general
03:58scholarship fund. Thank you so much. All of this support and scholarship funding changes lives,
04:04but also costs a lot of money to operate this program 365 days a year. So also, it's a lot of thank yous,
04:13because it takes a lot of people to make this work. The Hollywood Reporter is thrilled to announce
04:18that WME is generously contributing $75,000 to support the essential operational expenses of the
04:25mentorship program, including program management by EIF and Big Brothers Big Sisters, transportation for
04:32the mentees, college test prep, college admissions, and financial aid counseling, and more.
04:38Whew. Okay. Now, I think we should announce another winner. Yeah? Remember, you're all winners. But yeah. Okay. So, this scholarship to Chapman University is provided by the National Association of Theater Owners of California and Nevada. Thank you to Todd, is it
04:57Vadenburg or Vadenburg or Vadenburg? Vradenburg? Vradenburg. Vradenburg. That's how you say his name. Put some respect on his name.
05:09Vadenburg. But also, let's not assume that the only harder names to pronounce are the
05:15other ones. So, okay. And board member Linden Golan for providing a scholarship for the past
05:23three consecutive years. I'd like the scholarship winner and her mentee to join me on stage when I say
05:28her name not before. Okay. And it is Kenya McCoy of City Honors High School.
05:39Hello, everybody. I was twisting my shawl over there because I didn't know I was going to be up here.
05:52But I'd like to say thank you to my family, especially to Carrie, Alma, Big Brothers Big Sisters of
05:59Greater Los Angeles, and also the Hollywood Reporter, and anyone who funded this award, and also my friend
06:07Nathalia, and my friends at school, and I'm really nervous. That's all I have to say.
06:18Thank you to writer and executive producer Melissa Blake, who is also an LMU alum, for your incredible
06:24generosity in creating this new scholarship for Loyola Marymount University. The last scholarship
06:30we are giving out today goes to, can I get a drum roll? That was exciting. Okay. Brianna Calderon
06:43from Amina Watts High School. Brianna.
06:59Can everyone hear me?
07:20Okay.
07:21Wow.
07:22Just like everyone else, I'm feeling pretty nervous.
07:25But I want to say it's such an honor to be able to be one of the recipients of the scholarship.
07:32I want to say thank you to the Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program for being able to give these
07:40type of opportunities for us women.
07:44I want to say thank you to Alma, specifically from Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Great Reader.
07:50She's been the best coordinator.
07:57She's always showing support, not just for myself, but for the rest of the cohort.
08:03And I want to also say thank you to the Hollywood Reporter for being able to help us out with this.
08:09I want to say thank you to LMU, of course, for giving me this amazing opportunity.
08:18I've always wanted to be able to, I guess, sorry, to pursue a career where it allows me to be able to share stories.
08:31That's what I really want to do.
08:33I want to share stories that inspire many people that have been in my shoes and want to be able to inspire the world.
08:43So I want to thank you all.
08:45I want to thank my family, my hardworking dad, my sister, and my brothers for having sacrificed a lot.
08:51I just want to let them know that every step I take, like, oh, you know, it's because of them.
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