Over the past seventeen years of dealing with my condition and its symptoms, I have come know adversity very well. It is a miracle my body is as healthy as it is, and one could even argue it is a miracle my body functions at all. Before the term was recognized in 2013, I unknowingly struggled with a rare disorder called ARFID, Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. The disorder is characterized by an extreme fear or lack of motivation surrounding food and is separated into three categories, sensory sensitivity, lack of interest and fear of aversive consequences. I fall into the first two of these categories. I showed symptoms of ARFID from a very early age. While other kids in my pre-k class ate sandwiches and school lunches, I showed up to school every day with three containers of baby food, unable to bring myself to try any new foods. My parents, terrified of what this meant for me, took me to therapy in 2012, where I was labeled as a picky toddler with little risk of continuing this behavior. Thirteen years later, not much has changed, including God's grace in granting me so much life. Socially pressured in elementary school, I moved on from baby food to other predictable safe foods, such as snack crackers and bread, but since then, my diet has remained relatively the same. I do not eat fruits, vegetables, or meat, unable to bring myself past my overwhelming aversion to their smells and textures. I sometimes don't even find myself interested in the safe foods I've found. It often takes a dizzy spell or two for me to remember I need to refuel my body. Despite this challenge that affects me every day, I still continue to pursue the things I love because I know my life is a precious gift. Even when I wake up and feel as though my body can barely carry its own weight, I refuse to let it set me back. I set reminders to eat and drink protein shakes during times when I can barely bring myself to. I notice that the more I care for my own body, the more I thrive in the passions I have been gifted with. I sing so much better with a strong diaphragm to support my voice. I energetically act when I am not at risk of fainting. I read and write with much more clarity when my mind isn't foggy with the fatigue of hunger. I want to make the world a better place by showing others that you can become anything, no matter the cards you are dealt. With my education in acting, I want to encourage the people around me to have faith in themselves, even when circumstances look scary, which happens often in this workforce. My story is living proof that what seems impossible is often much more achievable than we let ourselves believe, and it is the driving force that pushes me to work so hard in my areas of pursuit. Once I have finished my education, I want to be a force of positivity in any space of theatre I am blessed enough to work in. I will use the platform and resources I have, however large or small, to spread awareness of mental health and inspire others to rise above their own battles to continue pursuing whatever it is that they love. I believe it is no coincidence I am still here, and I will continue to inspire those around me with the testimony that God has entrusted me with.

My name is Breleigh Warlick, and I am an aspiring artist determined to create change in my community. I go to Kilgore High School, where I participate in Newspaper, Theatre, Academic UIL and Sources of Strength. These organizations have taught me to be diligent, creative and empathetic. During my high school years, I have proven myself as a leader, and I plan to continue showing these traits through my art. After earning my BFA in either Acting or Musical Theatre, I will pursue this art as a professional career and treat those around me with kindness and empathy in an industry that is often lacking in this department. Once I have the platform and resources, I see myself organizing a charity to support people struggling with eating disorders. In order to achieve this goal, our organization would visit a variety of schools across the country and speak to groups of students and teachers, spreading awareness of eating disorders and discussing the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships with food. We would stress the importance of addressing these issues, because left unchecked, they can become life threatening. The young people of this world are the pace setters for the next generation, which is why it is important to carry this message to them. Not only would we spread awareness, but we would also make professional help more accessible to anyone unable to afford the help they need for eating disorders. We would build support groups led by volunteers trained in the realm of these disorders, and we would create fundraisers to make one-on-one therapy accessible to anyone who reaches out. These fundraisers would serve more than one purpose, drawing attention to the motivation behind our charity. For example, the lotus flower is a symbol of growth and perseverance; it rises from the mud and continues to bloom beautifully despite its upbringing. We would sell these flowers with this message behind it, encouraging those who fight eating disorders to rise out of the muck of their struggles and grow into the person they are meant to become. Once enough money is raised, our organization would use it to provide therapy and counseling for anyone in need of financial help. This pursuit holds a special place in my heart because I personally struggle with ARFID, a rare disorder that causes an avoidance of food itself but does not affect my personal view of my body. I cannot bring myself to eat any meats, vegetables or fruits, and I tend to cling to one safe food for months at a time. Due to financial circumstances and how novel of a term ARFID currently is, I have not received any professional help since I was 4 years old, and unfortunately, the diagnosis for my problem did not even exist when my family sought out help for it. It is only by the grace of God that my body functions well enough for me to pursue my passions, and I believe it is no coincidence that He entrusted me with this ongoing battle and testimony. No human should be forced to fight an eating disorder on their own, and my charity would prevent that from happening, showing survivors that they are loved, supported and anything but alone.

Considering my condition and what it entails, it is a miracle that my body is as healthy as it is; to go further, one could argue it is a miracle my body functions at all. Before the term was even recognized, back in 2013, I unknowingly struggled with a rare disorder called ARFID, Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. The disorder is characterized by an extreme fear or lack of motivation surrounding food and is separated into three categories, sensory sensitivity, lack of interest and fear of aversive consequences. I fall into the first two of these categories, and from a very early age began showing symptoms. While other kids in my pre-k class ate sandwiches and school lunches, I showed up to school every day with three containers of baby food, unable to bring myself to try any new foods. My parents, terrified of what this meant for me, took me to therapy in 2012, where I was labeled as a picky toddler with little risk of continuing this behavior. Thirteen years later, not much has changed, including God's grace in granting me so much life. Socially pressured in elementary school, I begrudgingly moved on from baby food to other predictable safe foods, such as snack crackers and bread, but since then, my diet has remained relatively the same. I do not eat fruits, vegetables, or meat, unable to bring myself past my overwhelming aversion to their smells and textures. Not only this, but I often don't even find myself interested in the safe foods I've found. It sometimes takes a dizzy spell or two for me to remember I need to refuel my body, or it will break down. Despite this challenge that affects my life daily, though, I continue to pursue the things I love because I know my life is a precious gift. Even when I wake up and feel as though my body can barely carry its own weight, I refuse to let it set me back. I set reminders to eat and force myself to drink protein shakes during times when I can barely bring myself to. I notice that the more I care for my body, the more I thrive in the passions I have been gifted with. I sing so much better with a strong diaphragm to support my voice. I energetically act when I am not at risk of fainting. I read and write with much more clarity when my mind isn't foggy with the fatigue of hunger. I want to make the world a better place by showing others that you can become anything, no matter the cards you are dealt. With my education in acting, I want to encourage the people around me to have faith in themselves, even when circumstances look scary, which happens often in this workforce. My story is living proof that what seems impossible is often much more achievable than we let ourselves believe, and it is the driving force that pushes me to work so hard in my areas of pursuit. Once I have finished my education, I want to be a force of positivity in any space of theatre I am blessed enough to participate in. I will use the skills I have learned to tell inspiring stories and lift others up, while also enjoying the art I love so dearly. I know that God can use the hardships I have gone through for His good, and I have faith that my story will not go to waste.

Through theatre, I have been given the opportunity to be a light in every company I have found myself in. I have the ability to spread positivity, joy, and love, both on and offstage, which is exactly why I wish to continue pursuing this passion. My most prominent goal in the theatre world is not measured by success in its most common meaning; it is to inspire the people around me to change for the better, wherever the Lord sends me in this career path. A smaller goal I could name would be traveling with a company and meeting thousands of people as I do so. It took me fifteen years to discover how much I love this art. In middle school, I participated in choir, but after a rocky few years of directors constantly changing, I decided to take a theatre class in high school. I participated in my first show as a lead during my freshman year, and since then I have acted in just about every show at my school, becoming our theatre club's Secretary. Social Chair and Media Manager throughout the years. More recently, I have dived into the professional world of theatre, earning a place in the Texas Shakespeare Festival's teen acting company for the Summer Season of 2026. The area of theatre I am most drawn to has always been acting. It allows me to understand the world around through many different perspectives, and it teaches me about the nature of people. Not only do I learn about human behavior, but I also become more confident and rooted in who I am. Acting has shown me how powerful my voice can be and how strong I am, which I had never tuned into before theatre. I would ultimately give back to the theatre world by inspiring others that it is never too late to begin and by showing people that you do not have to use the world's definition of winning in this career. You can win by booking every audition, winning every award, and performing on every stage, but none of that matters if you don't have a consistent source of love around you. I would encourage everybody I meet to focus on winning in the right ways, such as having a supportive group of friends or family; if those awards and bookings come with it, then that is just the cherry on top, not the whole ice cream! The moment I realized I wanted to do this for the rest of my life was last Summer, when I attended the Texas Shakespeare Festival Workshop with twelve other students. We stayed in the same dorms as professional actors for a week and took classes every day, while also working towards a showcase at the end. I witnessed first hand how much a team of young actors is capable of when everyone is working towards the same goal and also bonding with each other at the same time. I often get emotional thinking about that week because not only was I inspired by the professionals teaching us, but I was also inspired by the friends I had made. I knew after that week that I would spend the rest of my life searching for companies as tightly knit as the family this experience gave me.