Imagine interviewing for a job for seven months. At the end of those seven months, the hard work and stress leading up to that either rewards you in being granted a job offer or you're off to other opportunities. Not getting the job might seem heartbreaking, but it isn't the end of the world. However, you've been wanting this for so long. It would be a dream come true.

For the last seven months, I have been going through a selection process for Governor Honors Program in Georgia. There were four different interviews I attended/completed, and after each one, I had to wait an unbearable amount of time to see if I had made it to the next round. This time ranged from about a week and a half to a month. On March 31st, I got the email granting me admission to the four-week long program from June to July this summer.

I wouldn't have made it this far without so many people in my life. First off, my amazing director Kirk Grizzle was the one who nominated me, and I could not have done it without him. He has pushed my love for music in my time at high school, and this man also believed in me enough to think that I could do it if I worked hard towards my dreams. His amazing wife and my middle school chorus teacher, Melissa Grizzle, is also another name to thank. She was the first person to really inspire my love for music and helped me grow and learn as a musician. My amazing vocal coach that worked with me for so many of the months, Mrs. Kelly, also deserves a lot of love in this accomplishment. She attended GHP many years ago, and she helped me pick out my song and pushed me when I did not think I could do anymore. Without her, I don't think I could have tackled such a piece. My amazing friends have been so supportive along the way as well. It's not easy to wait for such a long time, worrying about what answer I would hear next, but they sure helped me forget sometimes about it. They reassured me that my talent was not based on whether or not the interviewers liked me or if the judges thought I was decent. And that really helped. I really could not have made it through this process without my amazing parents. My goodness, they have agonized along with me and calmed me down throughout each step of the way. Even though my mom would rather have me home for those four weeks, she encouraged me along the way and was there with me at my final audition. She celebrated with me each and every round and keeps me grounded each and every day of my life. My dad, the first person I called when I got the congratulations, has been such a proud parent. He believed in me when I didn't. He told me, "I know you're going to make it. You're great." My response was always like, "I don't know. We'll see." When I called him crying that day all I remember him saying was, "See? I told you that you could do it." Thanks for being one of my biggest supporters Dad, and thank you for having more confidence in me than myself.

I have self-doubt just like every person. I lost hope sometimes, and sometimes I questioned whether I was good or not. I heard other people's auditions and was amazed by the level of talent. Meeting all the other people who are attending makes me skeptical of why I even made it in. But that will only make me work harder. I am so thrilled to get to work with incredible kids my age this summer doing what I love. Being away from home will certainly be a challenge, but I know that wherever I go, my friends and family will always be there with me. To a "life-changing summer" from what I've heard from alumni, I cannot wait to be a GHP 54 Vocal Major. I'm absolutely humbled and blessed with this experience that God has graced upon me and all the adjudicators that saw something within me.