In my life, I limited my expression and lived two different realities. One reality is in America with my father and the other is in Guyana with my mother. My relationship with my mom was happy, but at the same time challenging. I was a confused child and longed to find myself. I tried my best in school but struggled to focus due to my Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. At the age of five, I wanted to find an outlet to express myself. Through after-school programs, I started exploring art. I would stay after school and participate in dance. At home, I would draw and express myself on paper. It felt good to convey my feelings through a framework that engaged my imagination. I discovered a part of myself that made me happy and did not discourage me, like school. Suddenly that all changed when I was visited one summer by my father. In one moment, I was introduced to his side of the family, and the next moment I was on a plane coming to live with them in America. The reality of growing up with my mom, who made me feel special, was stripped away. In America, I was alienated because of my accent, behavior, and the culture I brought from Guyana. I became resentful and viewed my father as the desecrator of my reality. My young mind was not prepared for the different rules and customs in America. To appease the new reality engulfing me, I separated my existence: the American reality and the Guyanese reality.In the fourth grade, I had an epiphany. It was there that I became familiar with the acting teacher, Mr. Lombard at Whitney Houston School of Performing Arts. One morning in class he unexpectedly called me onto the stage to perform a dramatization of an African poem. My classmates laughed and mocked my accent. I feared alienation. At first, I performed the piece half-heartedly. Mr. Lombard then stopped to instill a powerful message. He told me to perform the work from my heart and find the truth behind the words. I began again and spoke with an accent. My classmates laughed at first and it almost deterred me, but the stage evoked a familiar feeling that I had with my mother. The stage accepted me regardless of reality. I started to tune out the mocking and laughter and soon enough my classmates became quiet and started to listen to me. After the bell rang and everyone left, I stood on the stage for a while. I wanted to emulate that feeling again. The feeling of self-acceptance from living a reality resonated with who I was. On that day, I decided to pursue acting. Afterward, I auditioned for the middle school theater program at Whitney Houston Academy In East Orange. I worked dutifully with Mr. Lombard to improve my craft. After four years of working with Mr. Lombard, I realized that my two realities were one; the sum of my experiences and journey. Theater became the vehicle for sharing my experiences and journey. With new understandings come change. I had to leave the familiar and once again boarded the metaphoric plane to land in high school. Again It felt like once again I was leaving a reality I came to love, but this time I did not separate them. I made my experience a part of my journey that I would share through acting. I now understood that to achieve self-acceptance one must focus on the truth within. You must believe in yourself and accept who you are. Truth establishes purpose and meaning in life.