USITT is pleased to announce Kimani Gordon as our 2025 Collier Robert Woods, Jr. Scholarship recipient!

“Mr. Gordon's commitment and enthusiasm for Lighting Design is evident and aligns with his heightened level of creativity and ingenuity,” said Woods' wife, Anjali Austin. “I believe this, alongside his collaborative nature and dedication to fulfilling artists' vision, will take him far.

The Collier Robert Woods, Jr. Scholarship, named to honor designer and technician Collier Robert Woods, Jr., who passed away in 2020, supports Black and African American students with interests in lighting design and/or theatre production, technology, and associated theatrical fields. Woods was a veteran lighting designer and stage technician with extensive lighting design credits in opera, ballet, modern dance, music, and theatre.

Kimani Gordon is a third-year lighting design MFA candidate at the University of Connecticut. He graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor's in Theatre Arts from Boston College and began his artistic journey at Cardinal Hayes High School in Bronx, NY. Kimani engages in various art forms, including scenic design, sound design, and music production.

”I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to every professor, teacher, advisor, and both my parents for allowing me to pursue my passion.

I am incredibly grateful to be chosen for the Collier Robert Woods, Jr. scholarship. It truly feels like my life's work and craft are being recognized by my community. This award will support me in my studies to become one of the next great artists and designers of our time.”

-Kimani Gordon, 2025 Collier Robert Woods, Jr. Scholarship Recipient

If you would like to make a gift to the Collier Robert Woods Scholarship Fund, click here.