Brinkley-Lane Scholar: Kathryn “Kate” Miller-Vail
When Kate Miller-Vail joins East Carolina University’s theater program this fall, she looks forward to expanding her performace resume to include musicals — her high school doesn’t perform them — and digging into stage management.
The incoming Brinkley-Lane Scholar from Berlin, Maryland, already has been honing her leadership skills after achieving the role of assistant director in last year’s production of “Having Tea with Chekov.”
“It was a really fun and rare opportunity,” she said. “It’s difficult to lead your peers, and overcoming that, and trying to look at a scene and see deeper than what’s in front of me. It’s really nice to see that I have progressed in that.”
Miller-Vail, daughter of Saundra Miller, Kathleen Vail and Rebecca Vail, plans to focus an ECU theatre arts degree on entertainment design and production, stage management, and theatre education.
“One hundred percent my current theater teacher (Brandon Cater),” she said of the reason she plans to eventually work as a secondary school theater teacher. “He’s a big inspiration to me and he really created my love of theater. On top of that, my parents were educators.”
Housed in the Honors College, the Brinkley-Lane Scholars is the most prestigious undergraduate award program offered at ECU. The four-year merit scholarship recognizes outstanding academic performance, commitment to community engagement and strong leadership skills. Both in-state and out-of-state recipients receive a fully funded education, covering the cost of tuition, fees, room and board, and high-impact experiences. Included in the scholarship is the ability to explore the world and pursue additional educational opportunities with a $5,000 study abroad stipend and a $3,000 enrichment scholarship. Scholars benefit from access to an array of leadership opportunities, research with award-winning faculty and a robust alumni network.
Miller-Vail chose ECU because it was one of the few schools she found with a theatre education program, and she was already somewhat familiar with North Carolina. Her sister, Jaime, attended N.C. State University and still lives in the state. Miller-Vail said her sister hopes to apply to ECU next year to start a doctoral program.
“I hope we get to be a little ECU family,” she said.
In addition, she was inspired by recent alum McKenna Lawler, who graduated this month with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre arts (musical theatre). Lawler hosted Miller-Vail during her visit to ECU on Selection Sunday, the event that welcomes Brinkley-Lane finalists to campus before the scholars are chosen.
“(ECU) is further away than I wanted to go, but I had an amazing host on Selection Sunday and that really solidified it,” Miller-Vail said.
Finding a village in the other scholars and the School of Theatre and Dance is important to Miller-Vail, as ECU was the largest school to which she applied.
“I’m really excited about it, but worried about the standard it means having in college,” she said about becoming a Brinkley-Lane Scholar. “I think it’ll be good discipline for myself, and I’m really glad this is going to be my cohort.”
Miller-Vail discussed study abroad options with Lawler while visiting campus and is considering Scotland, Greece or elsewhere in Europe.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity to learn about the background and history of theater,” she said. “It’ll be really fun seeing the different styles of theaters, and how they’re created and built in other countries.”
Before joining her peers on campus this fall, Miller-Vail plans to work at her usual summer job for a boating company and, if time allows, volunteer with her high school’s summer theater camp.
Once she arrives on campus, Miller-Vail is considering playing club field hockey, encouraged by her high school coach.
“I think it’ll be good discipline for myself, and I’m really glad this is going to be my cohort.”
High school: Stephen Decatur High School
Intended major: Theatre arts
Current City: Berlin, Maryland