The BATS Communities of Color Scholarship is now accepting applications on a rolling basis!
Please fill out this application form with your information and the virtual class you’d like to attend.
You can see all our class listings, in-person and online, here.
If you have any questions or difficulties filling out the form, please let us know at bats@improv.org. We hope to make the application process as accessible as possible.
The BATS Communities of Color Scholarship, generously funded by an anonymous donor, was established in 2019 to make the BATS community more accessible for traditionally underrepresented communities of color. The BATS Scholarship Program offers full and partial tuition for BATS classes, based on funding criteria. See the terms and conditions page for more details about our application process.
BATS Communities of Color Scholarship Winter 2020 Recipients
The BATS Communities of Color Scholarship has been established by a generous anonymous donor to make the BATS community more accessible for traditionally underrepresented communities of color.
Its third round of scholarships were awarded in January/February 2020. Here are our six most recent recipients:
| Derek Jones | Janesh Rahlan | Jessica Sun |
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| “Derek Jones is a San Francisco based actor, comedian, singer, writer and self-proclaimed shit stirrer. A Baltimore native, Derek has has appeared in numerous Bay Area productions. With his art, Derek hopes to illuminate worlds that don’t get the spotlight, tell stories that haven’t been told and to add his voice to the chorus of the marginalized, oppressed and ignored who are calling and working toward change.” | “Born in New Delhi, Janesh Rahlan was raised in the Southern and Midwestern US. After teaching English in Turkey, he moved to San Francisco and started performing stand-up comedy in October 2017. He’s hoping to become a better team player and expand his stage presence and listening skills through BATS Improv.” | “Growing up, I never thought theater was “for me.” But after taking my first acting class, I saw just how useful and freeing theater is. BATS Improv takes this to a new level with talented instructors and a supportive environment to practice the art of being in the moment.” |
| Lilian Cheng | Cristina Delgado | Zhiqin Tian |
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| “Asian and middle-aged, I found myself spoofing Mrs. Maisel in an acting workshop. Not bad for someone who grew up “Commie”! The theatre coach suggested BATS Improv to really hone the skills needed for comedy.” | “My name is Cristina Delgado and I am so excited to have been selected to take improv with the BATS community! As an aspiring filmmaker, I feel this opportunity will help challenge me as an artist to step outside my comfort zone. I look forward to learning from my peers in the community.” | “I fell in love with improv four years ago and it transformed my life. Doing improv is a great way to make me feel supportive, focused, open-minded, attentive, joyful and compassionate. I am passionate about empowering people with self-exploration and personal growth. I’m determined to practice my improv performance skills at BATS, then empower and contribute to my community in Beijing.” |
BATS Communities of Color Scholarship Fall 2019 Recipients
The BATS Communities of Color Scholarship has been established by a generous anonymous donor to make the BATS community more accessible for traditionally underrepresented communities of color.
Its second round of scholarships were awarded in October/November 2019. Here are our eight most recent recipients:
| Carol Cheiruyot | Jowy-Jhan Curameng | Austine de los Santos |
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| “My name is Carol, a Kenyan professional who recently moved to the US for graduate school. I’m excited at the opportunity to work on being more comfortable speaking in public in a fun and relaxed environment at BATS!” | “My name is Jowy-Jhan Curameng and I am interested in the infinite ways of telling a story. I am excited to be part of BATS improv because many of my favorite Bay Area improvisers have studied/taught here. I hope to help the Bay Area increase the amount of diverse voices especially within the comedy and improv communities.” | “As a new graduate in theatre, improv is one of the most foundational skills to have when performing, but I see it as a skill necessary in all aspects of life. I am stoked to take classes with BATS because the opportunity to grow, learn, and push myself for engaging people and the world around me, will support my passions in social justice, activism, and performing.” |
| Jessica Flores | Lidia Juarez | Salim Razawi |
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| “My name is Jessica Flores and I am a Deaf improviser as well as an SF native! I am thrilled to start learning at BATS not only because they are AWESOME but because I truly believe they can help me develop more ways to make improv more accessible to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.” | “I’m Lidia, and I fell in love with the creativity, wit, and endless support of the improv community when I took my first class 3 years ago. I’m ecstatic to join the BATS community and continue to hone my improv chops among some of the best performers I’ve seen in the Bay!” |
“A bay area theatre maker who most recently directed Once on this Island with Contra Costa Civic Theatre, Salim teaches with the ACT Youth Conservatory when not performing. I’m looking forward to taking classes with BATS because it’s been a few years since I’ve gotten to do improv, and after seeing a few shows at BATS, I’m excited to be a part of the program.” |
| Yiyo Ornelas | Margaret Zhao | |
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| “Guillermo Yiyo Ornelas is an actor, dancer and theater maker, performing throughout Oakland, San Francisco, and Berkeley. Yiyo first came to the Bay Area in 2013 to study Theater and Performance Studies at UC Berkeley. In 2020 Yiyo will work on Campo Santo’s premiere show, Translating Selena, written by Richard Montoya. Currently, they work at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts as the Arts Education and Outreach Coordinator and also serve as the Vice-Chair for the Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area (AEABA).” | “Improv, theater, and performance have all helped me grow confident in my own identity. Being one of few Chinese-American females who performed comedy all throughout high school and college, I am determined to continue building my story-telling and performance skills at BATS. I am 100% certain that BATS will provide me a range of key skills that will benefit both my future sales career as well as my pursuit in my personal passions, positively impacting as many communities as I can.” |
BATS Communities of Color Scholarship Summer 2019 Recipients
The BATS Communities of Color Scholarship has been established by a generous anonymous donor to make the BATS community more accessible for traditionally underrepresented communities of color.
Its first five scholarships were awarded in July/August 2019, here are some of the inaugural recipients:
| T Sripunvoraskul | Jennifer Ortega | Albert Nguyen |
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| “I’m T Sripunvoraskul, a Product Designer in San Francisco, where my passion is to make products more friendly and mentor queer & trans folks getting into tech. I’m really excited about this opportunity to test my creativity, gain more confidence, and have lots of fun at the most perfect place to do it!” |
“I just finished a Doctorate in Neuroscience at UCSF and have a strong interest in Science communications and teaching. I am excited to join the BATS Improv community and to use these skills to become a more engaging Science communicator.” | “As a social worker specializing in mental health services, I always believed that the best way to connect with others is to deepen the relationship we have with ourselves – meaning to experience and to engage ourselves in creative environments that pushes us to learn new ways of being comfortable in our own skin. I strongly feel that courses like BATS are great mediums for social and personal development.” |
The BATS Scholarship Fund
The BATS Scholarship Fund provides free and discounted places in BATS classes to members of under-represented and marginalized groups. Your support allows us to expand our support!
If you’d like to support this program and see more students on this list, click below to donate.
Please contact the office if you wish to discuss creating a dedicated scholarship fund.
