Heathwood senior wins grant for school
Contributed by Heathwood Hall
Episcopal School

Andrew Wagoner

Senior Andrew Wagoner's initiative, writing skills, and personal views on diversity won him a one-week media internship in New York City this past summer and earned a $1,000 grant for Heathwood.

The July internship was part of NBC Universal Cable's national campaign, Bravo On The Set . Andrew, son of Gina and Randy Wagoner, qualified for the recognition after learning about Bravo's essay contest at an Apprentice Company Meeting at Trustus Theatre and deciding to enter.

His essay, "Diversity in Me," apparently impressed the contest judges, who picked Andrew as one of only 15 students in the country selected for the summer internships.

Andrew and his fellow honorees spent six days in New York City learning how to write, direct, produce, storyboard, act in, and edit their own videos. The students also went behind the scenes of the NBC and CNBC studios, spoke with top executives, and sat in on board meetings for upcoming shows.

"The internship was a lot of fun. We stayed busy from seven to five every day, but I enjoyed it thoroughly," said Andrew. "We did a lot of interviews with different network people. One person I interviewed gave us some advice I'll never forget. She said, 'You need to have a great idea and stick with it. Don't take no for an answer. Just keep going and keep pushing your idea until somebody says yes.' She was honest and blunt and her advice made a lot of sense to me."

Andrew's internship also won a $1,000 grant for Heathwood Hall, which will be used to enhance the school's drama program, directed by Dr. Melissa Swick.

"Andrew is an extremely dedicated theatre student," said Dr. Swick. "His contributions to the Heathwood drama program over the past few years have been significant. I am proud to work with such an accomplished individual."