If you take a child to the theater, not only will they practice empathy, they might also laugh uproariously, or come home singing about science, or want to know more about history, or tell you what happened at school today, or spend all dinner discussing music, or learn how to handle conflict, or start becoming future patrons of the arts. -Lauren Gunderson

I was extremely fortunate to be raised by parents that exposed me to art. I’ve been in art, dance, and acting classes for as long as I can remember. They laid the foundation for me to be a lifelong supporter and participator in the arts, but it was in high school where I realized that I wanted to spend my life creating art. We all make decisions in life that feel inconsequential at the time, but sometimes those decisions end up shaping our lives. That moment for me was when I filled out my schedule for the ninth grade. I had the difficult decision to make between speech and drama. I loved both and had a hard time deciding. I’m not even sure how I finally settled on drama, but I did, and that was that.

Now looking back I realize that my choice of classes my freshman year of high school wasn’t nearly as inconsequential as it seemed at the time. In that moment I decided where all my free time would go for the next four years (and for the rest of my life), who my closest friends would be, what I would learn about myself and life, and ultimately where I would end up as an adult.

High school theatre, mostly due to the fabulous theatre teacher I was blessed with learning from, taught me how to figure out the world around me. I learned how to ask big questions and search for even bigger answers. I read plays and saw theatre that was challenging, sometimes heartbreaking and even exhausting, but I was learning about the world in ways I wouldn't have experienced otherwise in a small town in the Midwest. Of course, some theatre I experienced didn’t solve grand problems or make big statements, but it was interesting or fun. That was just as important in shaping my perception of art and its importance.

Some days I would be at school from 7 a.m. until midnight, getting there early to work on a show, going to class, going to rehearsal, and then staying late after rehearsal to keep working. Looking back it seems almost absurd that so much of my life at a young age was devoted to art, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. In all experiences, there are good and bad memories. The best part of my high school theatre memories are that despite the petty fights, the real arguments, and the problems we faced, those problems were always overshadowed by the good we accomplished and the lessons we learned. I am forever grateful that the good memories all outweigh the bad.

The most important lesson that I learned in high school theatre is to fight for what you love. I can’t tell you the number of times my drama teacher went to bat for us students, for our program, for high school theatre, and for arts education as a whole. I know she did it because she believed in us and in art, but I’m not sure she knew what a profound impact it would have on her students in the future. Because of her, I will always fight for the art that is necessary to our very existence as humans.