Ari Fulton ’01

Ari_IMG_2045Ari Fulton knew she wanted to graduate from college since she was 8 years old. She was raised by a mother and grandmother in a turbulent urban neighborhood in Chicago. Money was tight, and her family struggled, but her mother recognized that, “the road to success should not be left to chance. It is only achieved when opportunity meets hard work and persistence,” says Fulton.
 
During her time at FXW, Ari was exposed to her lifelong passion, the arts. In addition to sparking her passion, they taught her that she was as just as special and as important as each of her classmates, despite the fact that she struggled with dyslexia and was challenged by her home environment. Ari came to believe that, “no matter the living environment, a child has the right and the ability to prosper.”
 
After graduating from FXW, Ari went on to attend high school at the Chicago Academy for the Arts, and later majored in theater design at DePaul University. Currently, she is working on her master’s degree, studying stage design for film and theater at NYU. The NYU’s master program is extremely competitive, only admitting 6 applicants a year. Not only was she able to land one of these coveted spots, she was also awarded a full tuition scholarship.
 
When asked what the biggest gift that he FXW education has given her, she responded, “The belief that that no goal, no dream would be out of my reach if I worked hard.”