As I unwind from my freshman retreat at Catawba College, I find myself contemplating a common theme for many upcoming college freshmen as the summer draws to a close—my future. Luckily, my perspective on this trying topic is a little different than those who are scrambling to find a path to follow. My path is clear. Well, a little overgrown with some "do not enter signs" and haunted tales of those before me, but clear to me nonetheless! For all the people who have yet to discover their true passion, I hope the story of how I found mine and why I chose to make it a lifestyle and career will help to uncover yours.

Passion does not always come at a perfectly timed age when one expects a life choice to emerge. Passion does not wait until one is, say, bright-eyed at a ripe old 16, giving its vessel a plethora of mature high school years to prepare for the perfect career and life pursuit. Passion sometimes enters one's life at a very young age. This is what happened to me. At the age of nine, while other children were getting a pat on the head for astronomical dreams of exploring the universe donning that great white suit or a condescending grown-up giggle as one pranced along, plastered with sparkles and jewels, claiming their space at the dinner table would one day transform into that of a throne fit for the high and mighty, I was handed a script. And with a sparkle in my eye, I somehow knew I had found it—my lifelong friend, enemy and lover I had found my passion.

Since that transformative and, in my mind, magical autumn day in fourth grade when I was so gratefully handed the standardized language arts textbook from which I would read the Third Pig in "The Three Little Pigs," every aspect of the theatre has had the power to intrigue every sense and nerve in my body. Seeking out new ways of releasing my raw emotion has become more than a hobby for me; I feel as though I am a vessel for impacting a change in the world. We as a human race have been taught for too long to suppress that very thing which drives us—our emotions, our impulses, our selves. By unlocking myself to the elements of basic reaction and allowing my human impulses to drive my actions in a character, I have faith that I will learn to mirror the human spirit universally.

A career in the theatre may not have the best reputation. Cockroaches, cramped quarters and many "May I take you order?"'s have threatened to follow but the yield of an artist outweighs that of the wealthiest Wall Street businessman. My sophomore year in high school brought with it the incredible opportunity of portraying Imogene Herdman in my community theatre's production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." In the play, Imogene discovers the idea of faith and begins to understand the true meaning of life. While this concept touches the life of every human at some point, I could never have imagined the intense effect that seeing this reflection would have on our audience. Amidst the tears shed as an ocean of audience member's heartstrings were yanked brutally by the silently crying girl on stage, a Vietnam war veteran sat unmoving. The conclusion of the show left him silent and, knowing the man, I made eye contact, thinking he was not feeling well or had simply been tired. I turned at the beckoning of another voice and when I remembered my intentions to speak with him, he had already left the theatre completely. I pushed the incident to the back of my mind, thinking instead of the costumes I needed to hang and the props I needed to place, only revisiting it when I was told that he felt as though he were reliving his own discovery of faith and hope in a healing, post-war mind.

Finding the power to reflect, write or enhance through design, the true human experiences for a stage is worth more to me than the greatest sum of money a wealthy man's mind could conjure in his greatest dream. This is how I knew I had found my place in this world.

So, if you're like all the other bright-eyed college freshmen out there attempting to find their reality or searching for justification among a sea of naysayers, know that you aren't alone. If you haven't found it yet, your calling will find you when you least expect it and it will hit you like a wall of bricks. You'll know when it's right; just follow your gut and don't let anyone change your mind or your heart.