Poway High grad receives big scholarship for songwriting

A 2014 Poway High graduate is singing a little brighter after being awarded a scholarship.

Anna Vaus, who now attends the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, was recently awarded the first-ever Women Creators’ scholarship.

This scholarship was established last year by country music superstar Miranda Lambert and was created to honor a female Belmont student who is majoring in music business, songwriting or entertainment industry studies and is actively working towards pursuing her dream of working in the music industry, according to a press release.

The scholarship will provide Vaus with more than $40,000 in funds beginning in the 2016-17 academic year.

“I lost it, I was so excited,” said Vaus about finding out she was the scholarship’s recipient. “It’s so crazy.”

“I am so thankful and honored to have been chosen as the first recipient of the Miranda Lambert Women Creators Fund. Not just because of what a crazy opportunity it is for myself, but because the tide is changing for all of the young women in this industry. I have so much hope for women in country music because of the path that Miranda and so many awesome people are currently fighting to pave for us,” Vaus said in a press release.

Candidates for the scholarship were asked to complete an online application and submit an original song. The college then had a small selection committee review the 80 applications received for the scholarship, and the top six finalists were sent for Lambert’s review, according to a press release.

Vaus said she is a huge proponent of female songwriters and “freaked out” when she found out about the scholarship.

“I didn’t think I had a chance,” she said, “but my professor said I should apply and why not take the chance, there’d be no loss (if I didn’t receive it).”

Vaus is studying songwriting and taking supplemental classes in music business. She is in her third year at Mike Curb College. “I’m really devoted to songwriting,” she said. “I devote several hours a day to honing my craft.”

Vaus began performing in the Company Pub and Kitchen in Poway at the end of high school and has opened for several country artists, including Hunter Hayes, Lonestar, Billy Ray Cyrus, LeAnn Woman and Phil Vassar. She has also performed with her father, Mayor and Grammy-award winning artist Steve Vaus.

She said her goal is to find a publishing deal before graduation and work on establishing herself as a professional songwriter.

Vaus said she thinks she will get to meet Lambert sometime in the future, but it is up to Lambert’s schedule. “I’d love to meet her though,” said Vaus.