Experience a one year mentorship with critically acclaimed actress DeWanda Wise! DeWanda will share her secrets of the acting trade and how she made it from a minimal background to appearing in Jurassic World Dominion, Spike Lee's Netflix series She's Gotta Have It, Fatherhood, and many more!
DeWanda Wise was born in Jessup, Maryland and grew up all over ‘’The Free State.” From rural, to urban, suburban to coastal; her working class background and the landscape of her living environment played an instrumental role both in her art and in her life. In early childhood, DeWanda’s heart for access to mental health care was born. Seeing the depth of need in her community, she trained as a peer mediator and began taking Psychology with the initial intention of becoming a therapist.
Throughout her teen years, DeWanda continued serving with the NAACP and found ways to integrate her passion for mental health advocacy when she discovered her ultimate vocation as an actor. In college, she was a founding member of The Collective which provided a space for Black Actors to work on material from the diaspora. Other organizations she’s volunteered and organized with over the years include Urban Bush Women, Young Lives, The Church Center for the United Nations, Reading Partners, as well as serving as a board member of InspirAction USA among others.
An Ambassador for The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI,) DeWanda is committed to reducing mental health stigma, and systemic change towards accessible care for all. DeWanda graduated from New York University with honors as a double major in Drama and Urban Social and Cultural Analysis with a minor in Community-based Theater and Performance. She is a Tisch Scholar Award recipient, the Atlantic Achievement in Studio Award recipient, and the BFA Representative of her graduating class of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
From this mentorship, you can expect:
Bonus Benefits:
All winners of #NotAloneChallenge auction packages, including this item, will receive exclusive access to a free Zoom concert and Q&A session with some of the singer-songwriters and performers associated with the #NotAloneChallenge.
The winner of this package will also enjoy a special High Tea experience for four people in Las Vegas. This will take place with Inspiring Children Foundation youth and staff, where you will have the opportunity to see their cutting edge approach to youth development and mental health.