Senior year, second semester, is a time when you finally realize that you're getting older and that "hurry up" to time that you have wished for over the past years all of a sudden becomes a "hey wait a minute slow down". When I auditioned for the spring musical my senior year, I wasn't expecting much. I had taken a break from theatre the year before, and I was content to simply be nazi number seven or nun number six if that's what it took for me to be in the show. I performed my heart out at auditions and ultimately spent the next four months of my life as Maria.

It was an absolutely amazing experience. I spent four months getting to know a girl who is now my best friend, bonding with the guy playing my captain, and joking with my "kids". There were plenty of stressful nights and meltdowns from hours of practice, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I got to live out a once-in-a-lifetime roll and for that I am eternally thankful.

I had done it. After years of chasing and getting so close, I had finally gotten the final bow. That final night, when I went out to bow for the last time of my high school career and what I thought would be my last time ever,I was already crying from our singing of Edelweiss. The bright lights and applause were enough to tip me over the edge, and I completely lost it. I was a blubbering mess. I wasn't just saying goodbye to the character I had played for the last few months, I was saying goodbye to all the people I had come to love because of the production. I was saying goodbye to friends and teachers I'd known for years and preparing for a new chapter in my life.

I don't think of myself as a high school hero too much, but when it comes to this musical, I think it(and the people that were in it) will always have a special place in my heart. I have recordings of various numbers as well as my script and a few costume and prop pieces. It will always be this show that I will look back on with some of the fondest memories.