It was a snowy evening on a breezy January night in New York City. Having moved from Kentucky to Florida when I was younger, I had forgone all of my winter clothes and I was freezing in two layers of leggings, a sweater and a purple fleece jacket that I had bought the week prior at Target. At that point, I didn’t care. I was in my favorite city getting ready to see my first Broadway show. I had seen shows like “RENT” and “Hairspray” prior to this experience, but they weren’t the same. They were at a small dinner theater just 20 minutes from my house and in no way scaled for a big budgeted Broadway production. This was the ultimate gift I could ever ask for. I had just finished my first semester of college and I was in this weird place where nothing felt like home to me. I mean, home felt like home to me, but something was missing. I was in a transition. College was weird because it didn’t have that rigorous tight knit schedule or those friends that had every class with you. There were a million things running through my mind as I ended my first semester, but the one that stayed prevalent in my mind was screaming “am I happy in my current major?” I had switched it in my mind three times, going from psychology to nursing to marine science. I had thought about theatre every once in a while, but deemed it as silly because I didn’t think I was good enough for the college level seeing as my high school didn’t have a theatre program.

So here I was on winter break, ready to have some time to myself to figure all of this out. Christmas time was finally here and my family was celebrating the usual tradition of sitting in front of the tree with the Disney Parks Parade playing in the background. This parade was especially exciting because the Broadway cast of “Newsies” was slated to perform. “Newsies” was one of my favorite Disney movies turned Broadway shows and I was dying to see it ever since it opened on the Great White Way in March of 2012. The parade was getting ready to begin and my family was beginning to open gifts. My parents handed a box to me that felt like virtually nothing.

“Make sure you open this one first,” my dad commented. Thinking nothing of it, I undid the bow and tore into the paper, lifting the top of the box and peeking through the tissue paper. Inside were printed tickets, but not just any printed tickets. Three tickets to see the show of my dreams, “Newsies.” As if it were right on cue, the cast began tearing through Main Street USA on the television screen, singing a song with Neil Patrick Harris. I was ecstatic, and the best part was that I was going in just a few short days.

Back to the chilly evening in New York, where my family and I were standing under the luminescent marquee lights outside of the Nederlander Theatre. I was shaking out of what I’d like to think was nervous excitement, but it was probably just me being cold. The doors finally opened after what felt like an eternity and soon, I was in my seat in the mezzanine, staring at the stage in awe. Nothing had even happened yet, there was just a projection on the stage that said the title of the show in front of a gray scale storefront in New York City. It wasn’t long before the downbeat of the overture began, a low bleat of the trumpet followed by the entire orchestra filling the house. I was already in happy tears. This was finally happening, I was seeing a Broadway show. Everything was so captivating. Props and set pieces were moving in, the set was changing, the lights showed 1899 New York City at its not-so-finest. Then the newsboys showed up and it was all downhill from there for me, but the good kind of downhill; the downhill where you know that you’re going to land safely at the bottom because everything is so great and wonderful in that moment. But the thing is, those tears were for another feeling too. I had finally figured out after all of this time, what I wanted to do with my life. I remember sitting at intermission and talking with my parents about the show, how much I loved it and how much I couldn’t wait for the second act. They could see it in my eyes too. That passion that I had for theatre before it was sucked out of me in high school was back with a vengeance, and there was no stopping it. The show ended with such a flurry of tap dancing and pirouettes and harmonious singing that I wanted to stay in that moment for the rest of my life. I didn’t shut up about the show on the walk back to the hotel, the plane ride back to Florida, or even in the present day for that matter. The moment that I returned back to campus for my second semester, I registered for a major in theatre. It was time to get my life back.

Presently, I am getting ready to go into my senior year of college, which is a whole other story in itself. I am extremely happy and content with the place I’m in right now. I’m working at an Equity theatre house, I’m learning more and more each day in our small theatre department, and I have the best people I could possibly have surrounding me and supporting me every step of the way. The theatre community at FGCU is a small one, but for me, it’s perfect. Because of “Newsies,” my life has been better than ever. I was going to break down each of the ways “Newsies” has impacted my life, but I think summarizing them will give the same effect. “Newsies” has changed my life by making me strive to be a better person each day. It has lead me to some of my best friends who I know will be around with me for life. It has given me a reason to sing my heart out, even if no one’s listening, and dance like no one is watching. It has opened my eyes to new horizons. It challenges me to learn new things and come out of my comfort zone every once in a while. I smile more because of it. To be cheesy and cliché, I seize the day every chance I get. It taught me to follow my dreams, no matter the circumstances. The last, and probably most important way “Newsies” has changed my life for the better is that it taught me to just be myself. To fight for what I believe in. To never give in, even when everyone is tearing you down. Because I am a theatre major and because I’ve been in situations where I’m ridiculed for being in that major, I am living proof that once you put yourself in control of your own life, it gets better. I just needed a little help from the Kings of New York to realize it.