Meeting an individual whom you admire is usually a very exciting moment in one's life, especially if it is a celebrity. Often when we think about meeting a celebrity, our minds go to the selfies, autographs and fangirl images we usually see occur in these situations. Most of us can relate to the exciting feeling we get in the pits of our stomachs when we see someone with a well known name walking down the street or eating at a restaurant. I'm here to tell you about this exact feeling, but also the overwhelming emotions that I experienced when meeting Dame Angela Lansbury.

As a Theater major as well as an all around theatre lover, I have many actors whom I admire and look up to as professionals. Although many of these people are younger, there are a few veterans of the stage who I would turn to for inspiration over any other actor. Angela Lansbury is one of those veterans who I will forever hold at the top of my list of actors whom I look up to. From her flawless performance as the gracious Mrs. Potts in "Beauty and the Beast" to her haunting yet humorous portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd," Angela Lansbury has shown great versatility as an actress and has gained the theatre world's respect for her countless roles that have been stepping stones for women in theatre.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend time with Mrs. Lansbury at an event hosted by my university. Every two years, the Theatre department hosts a theatre figure who comes and is interviewed by one of our professors in our department. As a major of the department, I and all of my peers were invited to the President of our University's house for a meet and greet with Mrs. Lansbury, and it was more magical than I ever thought it would be.

As my friends and I waited for her arrival, we chatted over a drink and some appetizers and anxiously fixed our hair and dresses. Now I know what you are thinking: Why were we fixing our hair and dresses for a 90-year-old woman? Well, it's because it is Dame Angela Lansbury, and the last thing I wanted was to look like a walking mess when she arrived. Shortly after our primping, her car pulled up and we watched from the windows as she walked toward the house laughing and smiling. Immediately I got nervous and looked at a friend of mine and said, "Oh, God, she's going to be cool. I'm not cool." Of all things to be worried about, this was what went through my mind.

As she worked the room and shook all of our hands and asked our names, it dawned on me that it is more important than anything to remain humble throughout your life just as Mrs. Lansbury was doing with us. No matter the compliment that was thrown her way, as she is probably used to, she took it gracefully as though it was the first time she was hearing it. I think my favorite part of the entire meet and greet was that she didn't once put her purse down or have someone hold it; makes me wonder what was in there. Anyway, back to the point. Mrs. Lansbury worked the room flawlessly, laughing, smiling, telling stories, signing autographs, and taking photos as if it was nothing. She kept a smile on her face and seemed truly thrilled to be there and to meet us. At one point she made it clear that she was there for the students, saying, "This is about all of you and your futures."

I could go on and on about how flawless she was and how honored I was to be in her presence, but there was one moment that was truly special to me. I approached her with a piece of paper that included her photo and a beautiful quote about playing real women in the theatre; my arms and legs were shaking uncontrollably, and so was my voice. I asked her if she could kindly sign it, not expecting much, and she politely said of course. She asked what my name was again and looked at me a moment after writing my name and went back to writing. She simply wrote the words "Yes you can" under my name and looked at me, patting me on the back and whispering, "You know what I mean by that" and went on with her evening. Instantly I was overwhelmed by emotions, and you may be reading this saying "What is the big deal?" but I will tell you. As someone who has always doubted my abilities, has struggled with self-confidence, struggled with trusting myself and worrying about where I am going to go in life, these three words meant the world. To have this woman, this wise, talented, gracious woman, who knew nothing about me, write those words just after looking at me, it was as though she knew exactly who I was and what I was going through in that moment. I was going through a lot of self-doubt in the days leading up to this particular day and I was just in a dark place, but she somehow knew the exact words to say. Although this will mean nothing to others besides just being words on paper, it was the push that I needed to continue doing what I love, but to do it without hesitation and to do it proudly.

During her interview, Angela often looked in the crowd and winked at us students after saying profound and meaningful things, but when she opened up about her hardship in life, she said something that would stick with me even more than the three words I look at every day. When life gets hard and I feel that I am failing and that I am not going to make it, I will forever remember Angela looking at the crowd with tears in her eyes and strongly saying, "We go on."