Watching from the crowd, six-year-old me gripped the seat in front of me. Peeking over, eyes sparkling, I knew I found something special. Ever since I was a kid, I have been completely infatuated with acting. Seeing one person alone leave a stillness, a deafening quiet that presses against the audience’s chest, or just acting out something so real, so deeply felt, you can affect those emotionally around you always fascinated me. Quickly, I knew I wanted to get involved as soon as possible... Not only did seeing shows spark the flame, but I was also often told, even as a child, that I should try it.

To get involved, my mom began to put me in acting academies like First Stage, where I immediately fell in love with it. The people were so fun to work with, comfortable, and encouraging. The experience taught me how to never let fear, discomfort, or embarrassment prevent me from doing what I love. Taking risks, being a leader, and never doubting yourself are just a few of the first lessons I embraced while learning. Everything about it was so fun and perfect; my heart had settled.

Not long after, I auditioned for school shows, I got involved in forensics (speech, debate, and group/solo acting) and community and professional theater. I never got sick of it all. Not only did I love it, but after third, second, and first place trophies at state for forensics each year, I felt proud that acting was not only my passion but a talent, too.

Most interests of mine have only stuck around for a small amount of time before I find something more exciting or lose that interest I had at first. But with acting, each and every time I step on stage with others who have the same smile and spark in their eyes, I continue to get that rush that no other interest has ever come close to giving me. But one of my favorite parts of theater is the people. Not only do they feed into that passion, but they are a community of people who spend so much time with each other and are forced to be vulnerable. Your castmates become your closest friends, creating a community that couldn’t be closer or more accepting of each other.

Over these 10 years, I have seen Broadway shows, modeled, participated in student films and acting camps, performed in ensembles or as leads in community and professional theater, and even wrote my college essay about theater. From the beginning, I have consistently reached for every opportunity to perform, and I want to continue to do what I love in any possible way I can.

While I’m not pursuing acting as a career, I want to try and continue it as a hobby. I fear that if I depend on theater to make money and make it a career instead, I will lose the love and drive I have. Pursuing it in my free time will allow me to perform without that pressure and only have to care about my passion for it. So, ultimately, I plan on continuing my passion by minoring in Theater in college and getting involved in related clubs, like drama club. Acting has given me so much, It has become a piece of me that I never want to let go of. I am incredibly excited to see where the next chapters after high school take me, and hopefully, one day, it becomes more than just a dream.