It was nearly the end of my junior year in high school. The sun was out and summer was approaching. I was sitting at my desk when my English teacher made the announcement that my school would be having a musical and all students were invited to write down their names to sign up for an audition.

I was intrigued, this would be the first musical my school has done in years. I loved singing, I still do. I sing in the shower, I sing in the car, I sing when I’m bored, I used to sing so much to the point that my mom would get sick of me and tell me to quiet down. I also was a High School Musical fanatic as a child and I enjoyed acting.

This musical was the perfect opportunity to showcase talent but at school I was the very shy and quiet girl with little friends. So I was a bit hesitant. Do I really want to perform in front of a crowd? Am I ready for that? I mean I do it in front of friends and family, but this opportunity is different, I’d be performing for a large crowd that consists of a lot of people I don’t know.

Despite my worries, I signed up anyway. I asked myself “why not?” this is a one time thing and signing up for a role doesn’t mean you’ll get it.

I was given about one week to memorize a few lines of songs from the musical for my audition. The audition took place during the summertime. Myself and a few other girls were waiting outside of the audition room for our turn. I remember quietly practicing the lyrics in my head. As I was practicing, one girl was done with her audition and exiting the room.

As soon as the door closed behind her I went up to her and asked her how it went. She told me she could tell the judges were impressed with her. She told me one of the judges gave her a quiet “wow.” I could tell from her face that she was ecstatic. This made me slightly nervous but I was also happy for her.

I’m the type of person that when my mind is set on something, I do everything I can to achieve my desired outcome. When I don’t achieve my desired outcome and there’s nothing else I can do, I just accept it. I accept that everything happens for a reason and some things just aren’t meant to be. I took a deep breath before I stepped into the audition room and I told myself that whatever happens is meant to happen and I needed to give my all.

After auditioning, I waited. I waited for a reaction, a silent “wow” or a silent nod; I got neither, in fact, I got nothing at all. No reaction. Every judge seemed emotionless. They thanked me and told me they’ll let me know if I get picked. I walked out and of course, a girl came up to me. She asked me how she thinks I did, I told her I think I did okay and that I was nervous. Deep down inside I thought I completely bombed the audition.

The next week was the week everyone who auditioned for the musical met in school to see if they got a role. To my surprise, I got casted. I was absolutely thrilled and couldn’t wait to tell everyone I knew. Not only did I get cast, but I got the lead role. The musical was literally named after my character. This was my time to shine!

I dedicated months to this musical memorizing my lines, movements, and singing up until the very moment I stepped into the beaming light.