Stephanie Bissonnette Legacy Scholarship

ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP

The Stephanie Bissonnette Legacy Scholarship covers the full tuition cost of BDC's Professional Semester. Each year, one recipient is awared the scholarship to attend the Spring Semester of the program to continue Stephanie's legacy and spread her passion for dance.

ABOUT STEPHANIE

No paragraph will ever be enough to summarize the life of our dear friend, but we will try our best!

Stephanie Lynn Bissonnette was born on October 25th, 1990 in Messena, NY. She was a New Yorker through and through, owning her first apartment in Washington Heights, speed walking on the sidewalks, and knowing how to nudge for a place on the subway. "I will live here and die here" is what she always said. Of course she could not have known the unfortunate reality of how young she would live up to that statement.

Stephanie lived a very full 32 years. She began dancing at a young age and followed her dreams of performing professionally with everything she was. She traveled the world on cruise ships, performed in shows around the country, made her Broadway debut in Mean Girls in 2018, and was a star of the 2020 movie Ensemble. Her life was filled with dreams realized.

Stephanie battled cancer twice in her short life; once in 2019 when a medullablastoma was found in her cerebellum. She was quickly in remission and on the road the recovery, returning to Broadway just 8 months after her diagnosis. She was a WARRIOR. That same cancer returned in 2021 and she fought with everything she had until she passed peacefully on December 17th, 2022. She was surrounded by not only the love of her family and friends, but by the unending support of the community around her. She inspired so so many dancers in the city and around the country.

We share her story for many reasons. To raise awareness for the research there is still to be done towards cancer survival. To honor the inspiration she brought to so many. To recognize the community she impacted. To maintain her legacy of hard work and dancing your heart out.

HOW TO APPLY

Must be a US Citizen or permanent resident
Must be 18+ at the time of chosen semester start date
Current college student or college graduate
All styles/genres welcome to apply
Fill out the online application form (coming soon) and be sure to include your personal essay about how this scholarship will be helpful to you as you work toward your dance goals
Applicants may be asked to join a zoom interview with the Legacy board after application is received
Limited spots available each semester

Application Deadlines

SPRING 2025 SCHOLARSHIP Program start date: January, 2025 (Applications due November 14, 2024)

WAYS TO DONATE

GoFundMe: Link Here
Check written to: Adena Ershow with the subject memo: Steph Bissonnette Legacy Scholarship. Send to: Broadway Dance Center 322 W45 St, 3FL NYC, 10036

For additional information or questions, please contact [email protected]