Making the decision to attend a technical high school was an easy choice for my head to make. I had known I wanted to study at a trade school since I was in first grade. That year, my sister went to the institution for a hands-on learning experience. Like how Taylor Swift and myself strategically plant lyrics in passages to be found, I was a planner from an early age. Even at six years old, I knew a learning a trade would help set me up to lead down a great path in life. Leaving my town's public school district was a little more difficult for my heart. I had gone through school since kindergarten with some peers who I then called friends and was worried about the drought that would come from this transition. Always leading with my head though, I thought everything would work out seeing that I was not moving, just merely attending a school not even five miles from the public high school everyone else I knew was attending. Once freshman year started, I made some fantastic friends at my technical high school. I tried keeping in touch with my former classmates with months and months of back and forth. Unfortunately, the flowers of our friendship that we had grown together that had started to wilt by the end of middle school died of thirst. The drought that I had feared of was the very worst. It took some time, but taking a step back from the familiar and comfortable made me realize this pain was actually a perfect storm. Though my experiences with these peers will always be over me like a stained dress I can't wear anymore, the pouring rain at the end of our friendship was such a freeing experience. Just because I've moved on to better relationships doesn't mean I don't miss it, but I know it's for the best and I'm never gonna risk it. With my music on shuffle during sophomore year, I heard the words I needed. Taylor Swift's "Clean" spoke to the good memory butterflies that had turned to dust and covered my whole room. She explained what it was like to have your lungs fill with water and scream so loud but had no one hear a thing. And at the end of those four minutes and thirty-one seconds, I heard the words I needed and now understood so deeply, "I think I am finally clean."

Some people don't take me seriously as a dancer. As a non-competitive dancer for 12 years training in ballet, lyrical, tap, and jazz, people always questioned how much I was truly learning in my weekly class. What they neglect to realize is how much this has led me to love dance. There is rarely a Thursday where I wake up and am reluctant to go to dance. Because I do not compete, I am not trapped in a creative box. I work with my teacher one-on-one during my solo classes to choreograph my tap and lyrical routines. During group classes, I get to collaborate with others like me; people who dance to dance, not for the trophies. I’ve grown up as a dancer in the age of reality television exploiting and running children’s love of dance dry as they get pitted against their best friends every week at competitions. Yes, these dancers have extensive technique and knowledge of the art form, but seeing them gradually lose their love of dance was heartbreaking. Television is only so true, but I’ve sadly witnessed this with others in my day-to-day life. They practiced night after night as young kids, traveled across the state to compete, and did it all over again the next week. Most of those now young adults have left the studio because they became burnt out. Since I have always enjoyed my dance studio, slowly building on my technique year by year and loving dance even more, I know this is truly my dream career. When I was 13 years old, an annual dance recital made me realize this dream when I received one of the very few awards given out at my studio: a Junior Tap Award. As amazing as it was to have my hard work recognized in my favorite style of dance, seeing the little kids' faces smiling at me was something I'll never forget because I used to be one of them. I used to be the small child with my hair slicked back in a bun, sitting in a pink tutu watching the older girls receive their awards. I used to dream of the flowy lyrical costumes, the ponytails instead of buns, the flash mob dances with the entire act of "older girls". This moment not only solidified the idea that dance is what I want to do with my life, but it reminded me how watching dance was just as magical for others to watch as it was for me to perform. My dance dream is to become a performer for the Disney Parks. From 3-year-old me joining the performers dancing in the High School Musical Parade to 17-year-old me on the side of Main Street U.S.A. doing the choreography to the Festival of Fantasy Parade alongside the princesses, Walt Disney World has been one of the places I get to experience the magic of other people dancing myself. I only hope that one day I would get to make that magic for another young girl who can realize that her dreams can come true, too.

I bury myself in thousands of books every summer, dance my heart out on the stage, and pretend to be fictional characters for a living. What do those things have in common? Something that really confuses people, making magic! I started Chelsea’s Book Drive & Bake Sale at the young age of seven. For ten years, I have collected and donated over 30,000 children’s books throughout Connecticut. While most kids spent their summers on vacation or playing with friends, I whipped up homemade baked treats alongside my mom in the kitchen; shopped at small bookstores; and sorted, packed, and donated the books. Knowing I’ve given the gift of reading to thousands of children who now get to escape into a new world like I love to do so much is a treasure I will always hold close to my heart. Breaking free from the world is a release that I feel when performing. I have been a non-competitive dancer since the age of five. Most other childhood dancers spend hours in the studio weekly, preparing to perform elaborate routines at competitions every weekend. Instead, I spend an hour and a half every Thursday at my studio training in lyrical, tap, and jazz. People always question and doubt my skillset and then wonder why I’ve never taken dance any further after seeing me on stage. Sadly, most teens in the competition world no longer appreciate the art of movement due to burnout. Since dance has never been a pressure weighing down on me, I’ve been able to rise more than I expected I ever could. I’ve taken this love of performing into starting my own party princess company. Yes, I dress as fictional characters for a living. I have a less fantastical job scooping ice cream like most my age. Otherwise, I spend every waking moment sewing costumes, styling wigs, training performers, and using my graphic design education on my website and social media accounts. I celebrate birthdays and special events with kids and kids at heart as I pretend to be a princess. People don’t question when I get to say I make magic as a princess as much as how magic is found in my other joys, but I realized that it’s the key that strings together my entire life. Magic can be found in everything I do. Seeing pictures of kids smiling with the books I have collected over these past ten years makes my world. Watching the littlest dancers in my studio starring in awe as I received my Junior Tap Award reminded me of how I did the same thing at their age. Rounding the corner of a community Christmas event in a horse-drawn carriage as Queen Elsa from Frozen brought me back to how I caught her eye when I was a young girl at the Disney Parks, which made me genuinely feel seen. It was, well, magical. Magic is what runs through my veins. Magic is at the center of my heart. Making magic for people is the goal of everything I do. I know that making magic needs to be what I do wherever I end up in life. Whether I follow the performer in me as a dancer or actor in the Disney Parks or continue my passion for marketing at a company, a non-profit, or with my own business; I know that spreading the indescribable feeling of pure happiness and wonder, intrigue and freedom, and whimsy and sparkle is more achievable than you might believe.

I bury myself in thousands of books every summer, dance my heart out on the stage, and pretend to be fictional characters for a living. What do those things have in common? Making magic! I started Chelsea’s Book Drive & Bake Sale at the young age of seven. For ten years, I have collected and donated over 30,000 children’s books throughout Connecticut. While most kids spent their summers on vacation or playing with friends, I whipped up homemade baked treats alongside my mom in the kitchen; shopped at small bookstores; and sorted, packed, and donated the books. Knowing I’ve given the gift of reading to thousands of children who now get to escape into a new world like I love to do so much is a treasure I will always hold close to my heart. Breaking free from the world is a release that I feel when performing. I have been a non-competitive dancer since the age of five. Most other childhood dancers spend hours in the studio weekly, preparing to perform elaborate routines at competitions every weekend. Instead, I spend an hour and a half every Thursday at my studio training in lyrical, tap, and jazz. People always question and doubt my skillset and then wonder why I’ve never taken dance any further after seeing me on stage. Sadly, most teens in the competition world no longer appreciate the art of movement due to burnout. Since dance has never been a pressure weighing down on me, I’ve been able to rise more than I expected I ever could. I’ve taken this love of performing into starting my own party princess company. Yes, I dress as fictional characters for a living. I have a less fantastical job scooping ice cream like most my age. Otherwise, I spend every waking moment sewing costumes, styling wigs, training performers, and using my graphic design education on my website and social media accounts. I celebrate birthdays and special events with kids and kids at heart as I pretend to be a princess. People don’t question when I get to say I make magic as a princess as much as how magic is found in my other joys, but I realized that it’s the key that strings together my entire life. Magic can be found in everything I do. Seeing pictures of kids smiling with the books I have collected over these past ten years makes my world. Watching the littlest dancers in my studio starring in awe as I received my Junior Tap Award reminded me of how I did the same thing at their age. Rounding the corner of a community Christmas event in a horse-drawn carriage as Queen Elsa from Frozen brought me back to how I caught her eye when I was a young girl at the Disney Parks, which made me genuinely feel seen. It was, well, magical. Magic is what runs through my veins. Magic is at the center of my heart. Making magic for people is the goal of everything I do. I know that making magic needs to be what I do wherever I end up in life. Whether I follow the performer in me as a dancer or actor in the Disney Parks or continue my passion for marketing at a company, non-profit, or with my own business; I know that spreading the indescribable feeling of pure happiness and wonder, intrigue and freedom, and whimsy and sparkle is more achievable than you might believe.

The summer of 2023 will be my first “normal” summer vacation in 10 years. What does “normal” mean? I won’t be buried in thousands of children’s books and covered in baking flour. Starting at seven years old, I founded Chelsea’s Book Drive & Bake Sale. This organization ran entirely by myself with the assistance of my parents focused on promoting childhood literacy across Connecticut by donating new and gently used children’s books to Read to Grow. Starting in June when school let out, my mom and I would sit down with the calendar in front of us to figure out the timeline for that year’s productions. We would spend weeks in the kitchen preparing homemade baked goods to sell at my bake sale in the front yard. As the two of us finished making the complimentary lemonade and coffee the morning of, my dad would be on the lawn pitching the tent and posting signs around town to attract customers. Every penny earned that day would be used in the next step. After taking the day after the bake sale to recover from 10 hours in the sun, my mom and I would start spending the money from the bake sale at local charity bookshops to add books to that year’s book donation. The final step was sorting the thousands of books into organized and counted boxes. We spent weeks separating the chapter from the picture books, pulling out all of the popular series to be placed together, and finishing the remaining many books by sorting them alphabetically. Over my ten years of work, I was able to donate over 30,000 books to underprivileged children, families, and schools in Connecticut. Giving the gift of reading to children not only creates a foundation for their academic success it can also transport them to magical worlds, either fictional or non-fictional, as an escape from everyday stressors. My goal in life is to use my current skills along with the knowledge and skills obtained in college to make magic for children of all ages in the future. My Book Drive & Bake Sale has been an immensely formative experience in my life. This has not only made me realize how privileged I have been but also that anyone is capable of making a difference. Many people have donated a small handful of books to my drive or a single dollar for my efforts. Some have donated boxes of books and made extremely generous monetary donations; all of which have helped bring books to so many children in need. One year, I even had a young Autistic boy who authored his own book donate it to the drive. Every penny and page makes a difference in a child’s life. It is a privilege to be able to share my love of reading and being transported into a magical world with other children. Through my efforts, I was able to realize that my goal in life is to simply make magic wherever I go. Either through community service, my graphic design work, my dancing, or my party princess company; magic can be found in everything I do. My goal is to attend Endicott College as a Marketing, Communication & Advertising major and Dance minor so I can continue to educate myself to make magic in more ways. With this chapter of my volunteering journey coming to a close, I will spend this "normal" summer working with Read to Grow to bring my princess performers to their charity events to continue to instill the love of reading in Connecticut children.

As a graphic design student, it is no surprise I am a fan of photography. I have a great amount of respect in understanding that every artist comes to a piece with a vision based on a story. Speaking from my own personal experience, I know how this individualistic perspective on life drastically affects your work. Aside from thinking of the design principles that have become second nature to me with a technical high school education, one important element of my life seems to seep its way into all of my work. Magic! Having grown up with many trips to the Most Magical Place on Earth, starting my own party princess company, and with dreams of working for the Walt Disney Company; I have been grateful enough to encounter magical moments many times in my life. Having these foundational memories throughout my childhood allowed me to be able to spot them throughout my teenage years. From making the magic myself at home through my business to capturing these photos on my vacations, I know how to find these captivating instances through a lens. With this collection of photographs, I hope you too realize that magic can be seen from many unexpected angles.

Making the decision to attend a technical high school was an easy choice for my head to make. I had known I wanted to study at a trade school since my sister went to the school for a hands-on learning experience. Leaving my town's public school district was a little more difficult for my heart. I had gone through school since kindergarten with some peers who I called friends and was worried about the drought that would come from this transition. Always leading with my head though, I thought everything would work out seeing that I was not moving, just merely attending a school, not five miles from the public high school everyone was attending. Once freshman year started, I made some fantastic friends. I tried keeping in touch with my former classmates, but the flowers of our friendship that had started to wilt by the end of middle school died of thirst. Taking a step back from the familiar and comfortable made me realize this pain was actually a perfect storm. Though my experiences with these peers will always be over me like a stained dress I can't wear anymore, the pouring rain at the end of our friendship was such a freeing experience. Just because I've moved on to better relationships doesn't mean I don't miss it, but I know it's for the best. With my music on shuffle during sophomore year, I heard the words I needed. Taylor Swift's "Clean" spoke to the good memory butterflies that had turned to dust and covered my whole room. She explained was it was like to scream so loud but had no one hear a thing. And at the end of those four minutes, I heard the words I needed and understood so deeply, "I think I am finally clean."

As cheesy as it sounds: don't worry too much about making friends immediately. You might want to feel immediate validation by making friends the second you walk onto campus. Yes, be friendly to people and never right off potential friends, but don't panic if you don't meet your new best friend the second you step into the building. Some friends you might have through all of high school, but some of your best friends you might not meet until junior year. There are new people everyone. People are constantly growing and changing. So are you! Stay true to yourself, and you will attract the people you are most likely to fit in with and become close to. Enjoy your first day and remember that every day of your life is a first day to make new friends. Chelsea Fitzgerald Wilcox Technical High School, Meriden, CT @and5678chelsea

Lilo Pelekai from the "Lilo and Stitch" franchise has always had a special place in my heart. Though my family called me Stitch as a young child due to my spunky nature, Lilo's character is very much like mine. Similar to her alien companion, Lilo is a bubbly, optimistic, and funny girl. She has a creative mind; whether in hula class, photographing people on her island, or helping Stitch learn how to be like Elvis, she is always trying new activities and improving her crafts. Throughout her various hobbies, she shows love to her 'Ohana, her family. As a younger sister myself, her dynamic with her older sister, Nani, reminds me of myself and my sister. We each look out for each other in our own ways in our different stages in life. Because she has lost the rest of her biological family, Lilo makes Stitch, Jumba, Pleakley, David, and even Pudge the Fish part of her family. She cares for her new alien family by making them feel more at home with her by adding their spaceship to her house, she treats David like a big brother, and she gives Pudge a peanut butter sandwich every Tuesday. Whenever she discovers one of Stitch's alien cousins, she does whatever she can to keep them safe from evil Captain Gantu and integrate them into life on the island by making their unique gifts useful for everyone which leads to the aliens feeling needed. As someone who was seen as an outsider by the girls her age, Lilo knows what it's like to feel alone. In whatever she does, she is always working to make sure people feel like they belong. I strive to be like Lilo by continuing to embrace my outgoing personality and make others feel welcome and special in whatever I do. Lilo is my favorite Disney character because she uses her talents to help everyone find an 'Ohana, because 'Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

Attending a technical high school is the bridge to get past the need to further your education. On average, technical high school graduates receive jobs in their field for a 60 thousand dollar annual salary one year after graduation. Doesn't that seem like the perfect opportunity? It is, and I took it. I walked into my first day at Wilcox Technical High School thinking I wanted to do hairdressing to pay my way through college for an English degree. Three years later, I have been happily putting on my wine-colored workboots to study graphics during the day, dancing, scooping ice cream, running my own party princess company, and working towards finding a school I can get a Marketing degree at during the night. Yes, for four years I have been set up to have a good life. I've had vast exposure to graphics work through Adobe software for digital and print production jobs, I've saved every penny I could from my part-time job, and I've started my own business so I can fulfill my greatest passion in life; spreading magic to others, but I know it's not enough. Having a sustainable job is one thing, but having a career I strive to grow in every day is something special. Through my work with my company and graphic design, I have learned just how much I love marketing. Being able to talk to a wide variety of people and capture their attention through graphics and writing is an art, like my dream to also be a dancer. Being able to attend college will allow me to continue to learn every day. Whether it's in the dance classes I plan to minor in, the graphic design classes I will take to increase my exposure in the field, or the American Sign Language classes I hope to take to be able to communicate with more people, a college education will give me the chance to broaden my horizons even more. By studying marketing and dance, I hope to one day fulfill my dreams by becoming a Cast Member at the Walt Disney Company. Spreading magic to families in the theme parks through performing or by being a creative director for one of the company's subsidiaries will allow me to reach the hearts of more people than I ever have before. Yes, technical high schools provide students with the foundation for a steady life, but to truly make a difference in this world, I feel I need to continue my education in college.

I have been telling people I would go to a technical high school since I was 6-years-old. Thanks to my sister choosing to study carpentry at H.C. Wilcox Technical High School, I wanted to follow in her footsteps. When it came to 8th grade, there was no question about what high school I would go to. Since becoming a Wildcat, I chose to study Graphic Design. As a designer, I spend my shop hours exploring Adobe Software and creating designs for clients, as well as physically producing work using a variety of printers, like wide format and Xerox machines, automatic guillotine paper cutters, industrial hole punchers and staplers, and much, much more. Going into high school, I knew I most likely was not going directly into my trade. College has always been in my plans and academics are equally important to me as my trade. People both in and out of the tech school community questioned why I would attend Wilcox if I wasn't going to "use" my trade. Through all of the opportunities I have had to connect with underclassmen and interested rising high schoolers through volunteering at SkillsUSA, National Honor Society, and "Tech-or-Treat" events with my school have given me the chance to break a developing stigma with tech schools. Thankfully the idea that tech school is solely for not academically gifted kids is long gone. Unfortunately, the pendulum has swung in a different, yet unfortunate, direction. People believe that once you make the change to a tech school, you won't want or be able to attend a university and further your education. I hope to continue to show students that tech schools build a fantastic foundation in skills, both academically and in a trade, that can be used in the future you desire. I plan to take my graphic design education to marketing/advertising studies to make my dream of becoming a Cast Member for the Walt Disney Company come true.

Some people don't take me seriously as a dancer. As a non-competitive dancer for 12 years training in ballet, lyrical, tap, and jazz, people always questioned how much I was truly learning in my weekly class. What they neglect to realize is how much this has led me to love dance. There is rarely a Thursday when I wake up and am reluctant to go to dance. Because I do not compete, I am not trapped in a creative box. I work with my teacher one-on-one during my solo classes to choreograph my tap and lyrical routines. During group classes, I get to collaborate with others like me; people who dance to dance, not for the trophies. I’ve grown up as a dancer in the age of reality television exploiting and running children’s love of dance dry as they get pitted against their best friends every week at competitions. Yes, these dancers have extensive technique and knowledge of the art form, but seeing them gradually lose their love of dance was heartbreaking. Television is only so true, but I’ve sadly witnessed this with others in my day-to-day life. They practiced night after night as young kids, traveled across the state to compete, and did it all over again the next week. Most of those now young adults have left the studio because they became burnt out. Since I have always enjoyed my dance studio, slowly building on my technique and loving dance more every year, I know this is truly my dream career. When I was 13 years old, an annual dance recital made me realize this dream when I received one of the very few awards given out at my studio: a Junior Tap Award. As amazing as it was to have my hard work recognized in my favorite style of dance, seeing the little kids' faces smiling at me was something I'll never forget because I used to be one of them. I used to be the small child with my hair slicked back in a bun, sitting in a pink tutu watching the older girls receive their awards. I used to dream of the flowy lyrical costumes, the ponytails, and the flashmob dances with the entire act. This moment not only solidified the idea that dance is what I want to do with my life, but it reminded me how watching dance was just as magical for others as it was for me to perform. If I was lucky enough to receive the Moriah Janae Dance Grant, I would use this to fund my education as a dancer to hopefully end up as a performer at the Disney Parks. From 3-year-old me joining the performers dancing in the High School Musical Parade to 17-year-old me on the side of Main Street U.S.A. doing the choreography to the Festival of Fantasy Parade alongside the princesses, Walt Disney World has been one of the places I get to experience the magic of other people dancing myself. I only hope that one day I would get to make that magic for another young girl who can realize that her dreams can come true.