Ever since my freshman year of high school, I knew Theater is the direction I wanted to go in life. When I considered doing theater as a major I knew I was going to get looked at and asked questions like "What are you going to do with that"? And to be honest I did not have an answer to that question for the longest time. When COVID hit I was in my second semester of sophomore year of high school and during that time I was taking a technical theater class. In taking the course I found out that I had a passion for this line of theater. I realized that I am great at working with my hands and it grew from there. I learned how to build and construct sets and in my senior year, I had the opportunity to help build and construct sets for my school's plays and musicals. This is when I was truly put to the test to see if this was something I was passionate about. I was tasked with coming up with a set plan and deciding what materials I wanted to use and how I was going to get it done. I had about a month to plan and get everything built which was stressful as it was my first time being head of the process. I had a lot of help along the way and my friends and teacher were so supportive of me and which helped strengthen my passion for theater. When I told my parents that I wanted to major in theater they were extremely hesitant at first because there are not many jobs out in the world for theater majors. It is a tough field to get into and they wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting me into. It felt like everyone was trying to get me to change my major and find something else to do but I knew there was nothing else I had a passion for. I felt like I could truly be myself whenever I was in my element of the theater world. It took a while for my parents to be on board but eventually got there when they saw how happy I was and how hard I would work to make my dream a reality. I started college as a theater major recently and it has been an experience, to say the least. I have learned so much from my peers and my professor. I started meeting with a designer who designs and builds the sets for the university plays and he has taught me life skills that not only apply to the technical side of theater but also out in the real world. Theater has taught me so many skills and it is the one place I feel like myself. Without it, I do not know where I would be. I can be an expressive as I want and no one is there to judge me. Theater is my life and I can not wait to see where it takes me next.

At the mere age of 17 I have experienced many heartbreaks, disappointments, and failures that adults well past my age can only start to understand. By the time I was 9 I had lost my brother and I started to cope with the effects of losing my best friend, my rock, the person who was always there for me. We were still picking up the pieces from my brother but we never got to finish. Before I realized it, I was sitting in the hospital chair clutching the pitiful teddy bear given to me by the nurse saying goodbye to my mom. So by the time I was 10 I experienced not one but two deaths. I soon fell into a depression in which I felt like I was suffocating and I could not get out of it. As time progressed I gained a stepmom who helped me get out of that toxic mind space. Life for me has been challenging but I was able to overcome those with my amazing friends and family. Once I finally stopped trying to do things on my own and started asking for help life became easier. Part of me is thankful for the changes that happened during my childhood because it shaped me into the woman I am today. Without the setbacks I faced I would have never expanded my comfort zone and be open to anything the world has to offer. Life does not stay the same and I love my life.