Meet Sara Garcia

For Sara Garcia, acting is more than a profession—it's a passion: "At first I thought I would focus my career in education, but no matter what I tried, I found my heart was always in acting," she says. "I've tried to be logical, practical, but I can't. Acting is what I have to do."

Thanks to the help of the Baizer Family Fellowship, Sara has been able to follow her heart and pursue an MFA degree in acting. The fellowship was established by UC San Diego alumni and Chancellor's Associates donors Robert Baizer '87 and Diane Jacobs '86 who are major supporters of the arts. The fellowship will be awarded to five students over the next five years in the Department of Theatre and Dance.

"Establishing the fellowship seemed like a great way to bring talented students to the university and get them involved with UC San Diego's incredible arts program as well as organizations such as the La Jolla Playhouse," said Robert. "Diane and I think of it as an investment we're making in the future of these students and the arts."

Sara, who is the first Baizer Family Fellow, is extremely grateful for the investment. "I wouldn't be able to attend graduate school if not for fellowship support," she says. "The costs for my undergraduate education really added up so I wasn't sure how I would handle paying for graduate school. I am so thankful for this opportunity."

As a first year graduate student, Sara has enjoyed the opportunities that are afforded to her as a student in UC San Diego's renowned theatre program—one of the top three graduate theatre training programs in the country.

"The whole acting program is just amazing," she states. "The faculty, the facilities, the students are all incredible. There is such a sense of collaboration here."

Despite the challenges that professional artists can face, Sara is confident that she will have all the resources she needs to embark on a successful career in acting. She hopes one day to join the ranks of other UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance alumni such as Danny Burstein, a double Tony nominee, and Jefferson Mays, a 2004 Tony winner.

"I would love to work professionally on the stage, but I'm not sure yet whether I'll try film or TV," she says. "It all depends on what happens, but I'm not worried. The people here at UCSD take really good care of us."