The Juilliard School's annual Juilliard Experience—also known as the December sleep-over—is something I look forward to participating in every year. My excitement about this program (which took place from the afternoon of December 4 to the morning of December 7) stems from the fact that my own experience allows me to understand how extremely important it is: if I hadn't attended the Juilliard Experience myself as a high-school senior, I would not be here at the School now. But my experiences as a three-time student host have also taught me that the importance of this program is two-fold. While African-American, Latino, and Native American high-school students are brought here to experience something of Juilliard and its neighborhood, so they can decide if this is a place of interest to them, the program is also important for the Juilliard student body: The high-school students bring such exciting and eager spirits to Juilliard that anyone who has the good fortune of interacting with them in any way is refreshed.

Juilliard Experience participants relax in the 11th-floor lounge after hearing the introduction to the program. Photo by Clara Jackson

This year, as always, hundreds of underrepresented high-school juniors and seniors from all around the United States mailed in applications and teacher recommendations with the hope of being accepted into the three-day program. Forty-seven students had their dream come true. After the group was selected, the Student Affairs Office set about recruiting hosts from among the current Juilliard students, who would be responsible for making the visitors' time here as comfortable, enjoyable, and worthwhile as possible. Working in the Student Affairs Office, I made it my job to make sure applicants understood that the importance of the position was far more than the Horizon points which served as compensation—that, if that was their main inspiration, they should probably not apply. (When I came to Juilliard as a high-school senior, I'm sure my experience would have been even greater if my host had been here, instead of in Chicago!)

When the sleep-over students arrived, I was fortunate enough to be able to greet all of the newcomers and witness their transition from outsiders uncomfortably lugging their suitcases into an unfamiliar building to people smiling, laughing, sharing, and getting to know each other. This change was sparked by the hosts, who let the kids know they were welcomed and that they had someone here to watch out for them and answer all their questions.

The day the students came, they went on a walking tour of Juilliard's neighborhood and had a welcoming party. The next two days were jam-packed with exciting things to experience. Each student took at least two classes per day, in the area of his or her interest. Their second evening, the kids had free tickets to the opening night of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; the following night they attended an orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall. When they arrived back at the residence hall each day, they had socials waiting for them, provided by Residence Life staff.

My assigned student, a dancer from Buffalo, N.Y., was always energetic and excited to share her experiences. She expressed how she felt about the classes she had taken, and told me about the Ailey concert in such detail that I felt as if I had seen it with my own two eyes. My roommate's student, an actress from Jacksonville, Fla., beamed with hope when she said, "I feel so at home here. At school, there are only a few students who love acting and take it as seriously as I do. To interact with a whole class of dedicated artists was amazing; for the first time, I really felt like I belonged."

A jazz singer I met from Miami came to my door communicating the events of her day with such joy and speed that I feared the girl would explode before my very eyes. She began, "I am so happy right now!" and concluded with, "I finally feel like I am ready to prepare for my audition for Juilliard next year." It was so satisfying to hear that this program is working—that it is successfully letting students of color know that they, like anyone else, stand a chance of becoming Juilliard students.

Through conversations I had with my peers, it became clear to me that I am not the only Juilliard student who appreciated the presence of these young people. Michelle Smith, a host and third-year dancer, said, "I met an Experience student who had such a beautiful sense of individuality that I truly value the time I shared with her... As for the students as a whole, it was nice to see so many black faces."

One morning, I woke up at about 5 a.m. to a lamp's light and the sound of a stapler. I looked down from my bed to find my roommate, third-year actor Sarah Fox, making something. When I asked what she could possibly be making at such an hour, she said, "Oh, I am making a going-away present for my student. She's leaving really early, so I am making it now. Sorry for waking you up; I just wanted to make her feel special and let her know that whenever she comes to New York, she always has a couch to crash on." Sarah also told me how much she enjoyed the Experience students' giving spirit: "As students here, we are always so busy that it's not often that we have the opportunity to share the energy they brought to us. I just wanted to thank her."

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to write this article, because of what the process has taught me. I learned that I and other minority students, who might not otherwise have discovered Juilliard and their own potential to be students here, were not the only ones touched by this program. It was an important and worthwhile experience for everyone involved. I was also able to observe how true it is that one only gets back what one gives. This past December, the relationship between the hosts and the students was more powerful than in any other year I have experienced so far. To the hosts and others who put their hearts, time, and effort into the Juilliard Experience this year, it was certainly a success; thank you!

Amina Royster is a third-year dance student.