Image: Derby High school's 2015 production of Once Upon a Mattress (I'm the only dodo that's knelt on the ground, in front)

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Even before I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and depression, I was a shy kid. Most of my friends would beg to tell you otherwise, but it's true. New faces always made me nervous. And of course, speaking in front of my peers was terrifying and exhausting--I still have yet to meet anyone who actually ENJOYS public speaking.

But then my cousin got into Drama. The theater kind, of course.

What did that have to do with me? Why, everything. I look up to my eldest cousin. She's been my big sister figure since I could talk. So when I heard about her theater class and how much she enjoyed it, it got me interested in taking the class myself.

I was terrified at first, of course. I had sang solos in previous music festivals, but it was nothing like acting. Theater isn't repetitious, it's not consistent--Theater is ever changing. No two performances are the same, back to back or otherwise. And that was scary. I depended on repetition and consistency a lot when I started high school, but I was convinced to try it. I wanted to tell my cousin that I at least tried.

Even just after one semester, I was coming out of my shell. The more monologues I did, the easier it became to present speeches and projects. Which each duo scene I performed, I got more and more comfortable with interacting with people, and I made a new friend each time.And I'll never forget my first "real" performance.

I was in a one act play directed by a junior and a senior in school at the time, called Who's Your Mummy--a comedy about an archaeologist who brings home the sarcophagus of King Ramma-Lamma-Ding-Dong, and the shenanigans that ensue when the mummy suddenly awakens! I played as the archaeologist's mother, a near completely blind old lady with many endearing quirks. I was nervous--I kept forgetting my lines!--And I struggled to improvise on the spot in front of an audience. But I had one of the most supportive cast-mates in the department, who put up with my panic and stubbornness and got me through it. Not once dd they give up on me--we were a team. A family.

I knew then that I loved the stage. But what really convinced me to stay in theater however, was my Drama teacher. He was incredibly intimidating at first, but he's really a kind and generous person to anyone who gets to know him. He's also very sarcastic and witty, and sometimes--a lot of times--give his kids a hard time, all in good fun of course. But he gave tremendous support to every student who showed him they were willing to work hard. And once you become one of his kids, you never really leave the family, even years after you've graduated. If theater is my second home, then he was my second parent. He did more than help me grow as an actor and a student--he helped me grow as a person. He provided me sanctuary when my teachers overwhelmed me or stressed me out, or when the weight of life was too much for me to carry alone.

I look back fondly on lunches I've eaten with him, where we talked about funny past events and students who drove us crazy. We could rant to one another knowing with total certainty that what we said remained between us. He listened to me talk about my problems, and gave some of the best hugs and words of wisdom when I needed them most. But most importantly, he taught me to have more faith and trust (not pixie dust, he hates glitter) in myself and my abilities. He pushed me to become an even stronger, even better version of myself. No teacher has even come close to what he did for me and what he gave to me.

In the following three years that I took acting classes and got involved in the Drama Club, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I'm a pretty darn good Gollum, and Narrator, and tone-deaf fangirl. I learned that writing notes and memorizing things wasn't so hard, so long as you went over it at least ten times (after the first three is when your brain begins to memorize something) every night. I learned how to identify a two-by-four block of wood, and how to operate a variety of power tools, as well as how to work lights, audio, scenes, and other various forms of theater tech. I learned that speaking in front of an audience wasn't so bad when you rehearsed it a dozen times to your friends and inanimate objects at home, that things didn't always go according to plan, and that was okay--you made what you had work. I learned so many more real world skills in four years of theater than I ever did in all my combined years of academics or sports, and it pains me to see the fine arts written off so often and so easily. It did all of this for me--imagine what it could do for a whole generation!

Shakespeare said that all of life is a stage, and he is absolutely right. But I never would have understood what he meant without theater to show me the way, to give me the power to choose what sort of play my life was going to be. I couldn't recommend Theater more to new freshmen, whether they see themselves performing for a living or otherwise. We could all use a little more Drama in our lives.

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To my cousin Crystal, for without whom, I never would have joined drama club
To my friends in and out of Drama Club, and family, who supported me
To my first cast-mates, who helped me be a kickass granny, and many more roles thereafter
To all the nay-sayers who said I couldn't do it, who shunned and ridiculed me for being a 'theater kid', and fueled the fire I used to prove them wrong
and to my teacher Mr. Shultz, for all the laughs, hugs and guidance;

Thank you.