July 30, 2025
Jawuan Hill is now using his acting education to teach kids how to own the stage.
A Black Juilliard graduate has returned home to help the community that once helped him.
Four years ago, Jawuan Hill was an accepted student trying to pay his way to New York by working part-time at Burger King. His story of hard work and perseverance inspired his extended community of Dumfries, Virginia, located 30 miles south of Washington, D.C.
After news of his mission gained traction, his GoFundMe flooded with donations. His dreams soon became a reality, affording him the chance to pursue acting at the premier performing arts institution.
“I would not be here if four years ago I didn’t do that interview and people helped me pay for my schooling,” he said to NBC Washington. “I feel forever changed as an actor and a human, and I’m just grateful I got the opportunity.”
His matriculation through Juilliard was not easy, but Hill leaned on the spiritual support of his late grandmother, who initially funded his application to the school. She died of ovarian cancer a few months before Hill received his acceptance letter.
However, his grandmother’s belief in his dreams kept him moving forward, graduating from Juilliard as a trained actor.
“I think she’d be really proud, which makes me very happy. I think she’d be happy that I stayed the course. Juilliard is a hard program. It’s a really hard program. But you come out a stronger artist than ever,” explained Hill.
Never forgetting who got him here, Hill has taken time out of his post-graduate career to help future actors in his old stomping grounds. He teaches acting as part of a local program in D.C.. There, he encourages his pupils to embrace their artistry on the stage.
The D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services puts on this program for the local youth. The initiative helps students learn about future careers while dealing with serious societal topics like police brutality. Hill hopes to uplift future stars and scholars as a testimony to his own communal support.
“You have to see a physical manifestation of your dream, and so sometimes that means someone that looks like you,” Hill said. “More than anything, I’m just excited to come back and be like, ‘Hey, you can do this, and you just need somebody to tell you can.’”
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