As I sit here at 12:32 a.m. writing this article because I get impulses to write at odd times of day, I ponder. I look back on the day's events, and the near future of the sun in the morning. I wake up to the sounds of the hustle and bustle of Pittsburgh city life, and students rushing to make their 8 AM's. I feel like I am living in a dream, and this is all still so surreal. I cannot believe I am here.

Time, sleep, and many other things among the world of college are sometimes just concepts that cease to exist. What happens when you stop — in the midst of your busy day — and you start to realize what truly goes on around you? Around the campus? Around the city in which you now call home? Home is a place where you reside, surrounded by people you love. Who support you. Admire you for being you. And most importantly, you are safe. You have the freedom to be you at home. What if one day you decide to take that left turn on that street you usually take a right? Or if you begin talking to one of the security guards, asking them about their day? You never know how one kind of gesture — big or small — will impact a person's life, and I am telling you from experience : you should try it.

As a freshman Bachelors of Fine Arts Musical Theatre major at Point Park University, I am reassured each and every day that this is the place where I belong. People within Conservatory of Performing Arts are among their own little community filled with artists hungry for that one shot — that one opportunity that will allow them to share their passion with Pittsburgh, and beyond. The beauty about this program not only lies within the comradery between the students, faculty, and staff, but the genuine support each and every person receives here; whether it be on stage or off.

If anyone has any questions about PPU and their MT (Musical Theatre) Department, COPA, or PPU in general, please don't hesitate to contact me!

E-mail: qmlysag@pointpark.edu