Amiyah Sanders

Acting / Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

School of Acting

I am Amiyah Sanders, an actress and writer, with a deep passion for storytelling through performance. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, known for being the home of the civil rights movement, but not known for creative arts. There weren’t many opportunities for artists, such as actors and musicians. But I found an opportunity in my Spoken Word class in the eleventh grade. I was given the challenge to write a personal piece and perform it in front of the class. I was excited and confident about the challenge. After performing my first piece of poetry, I was overjoyed with the feeling of being able to impact people in a positive way. I found my passion in a place where the arts weren’t celebrated the same way as in the rest of the world.
I held on to that passion through high school, undergrad, and in 2023, I moved to San Francisco to attend graduate school to continue my training in acting for film and television. In my second year, I received the award for Best Actress at the NXTUP Fest. With every new character I portray, I challenge myself to be better than the last time, as this is a craft that requires you to do the work to be a better performer.