It's that time of year again. The essays, the endless fees for sending in applications, test scores, and transcripts to a school that will put you into hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of debt. That's right folks, it's college application time. No matter how much I dreaded this happening again because I still have no clue what my plan for next year is going to be, but it's kind of nice to take the time to write an essay about my life in the past four years. And although I'm struggling a lot right now, it has really reenforced the reasons of why I do everything in a kind of weird way compared most everyone else. By writing this essay, it's really made me realize that this gap year, although harder than I foresaw it to be, is really meant to be a part of my unusual journey in life.
I’m not what
people call “traditional” when it comes to the typically chosen paths people
take in life. Go to school, focus on sports and academics, graduate, go to
college, etc, etc. I consider myself more of a trailblazer in my own life, creating
my own paths and making my journey what I want it to be, not what others see
fit. It all started at the age of twelve, when as a sixth grader, I decided to
do my first outside of school performance at Stepping Stone Theatre. Forty-two
performances of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and almost a month of school
missed. Even though I was almost considered truant for absences, I was hooked.
I liked feeling that I was different from the rest of the crowd. Unlike the
usual student’s path to popularity, I spent my school career trying to be
unique.
Throughout high
school, I tried hard to find a school that would accommodate the abnormal path
I had decided to take. I wanted a school where I could improve my skills as a
performer, both in and out of school. When I planned to go on a mission trip to
Africa in November of my freshman year, I wanted a place where I would be able
to go without the fear of failing my classes. I wanted a place where I could
grow and learn in both book and street smarts. Honestly, from the first day of
my freshman year, I was searching for a college.
I have always been
stubbornly positive about what I wanted to do with my future. I knew it from
the moment I stepped into my first theatre, onto my first stage, because a
theatre is a place where people accept oddballs like me. Theatres are full of
likeminded people that are all still completely unique, and that’s what I
wanted. I have known for a long time that I wanted the arts to be a big part of
my future, and unfortunately, not everyone sees that as a glowing career
opportunity. I understand, the arts isn’t where you’re going to make the most
money, but you will be rich with life experiences, happiness, and surrounded by
people who love and believe in your dreams. So despite the negativity I faced
from family and friends at the first mention of my career choice, I have pushed
through and shown them the positive outcomes that a career in the arts could
give me.
Theatre has been a
big part of my nontraditional high school experience, and although it took me
five switches between arts, online, and public high schools, I found a way to
balance acting and academics. I finished out my senior year with two years of
work as a barista, twenty productions and performance opportunities, seventeen
different extra-curricular activities, over thirty tech hours every year, over
three times the amount of arts credits needed to graduate, a B average, and a
highly-needed coffee addiction. I remained basically sane in those years, which
is an accomplishment in itself. Juggling everything in my life has prepared me
for anything. I can now successful change from work clothes to dance clothes
and scarf down dinner in a fifteen-minute drive. Though seemingly stressful to
an average Joe, a weirdo like myself thrives in this madness.
When people ask me
what I want to do with my life, the list can go on and on, but the simplest
answer is I want to find my niche. The place, where no matter who I’m with,
where I am, or what I’m doing, I have found a place where my insanity is
accepted and I belong. I dream of finding happiness, because if something
doesn’t make me happy, what is the point of staying in that negativity when
there is something out there that can bring me joy. I want to do everything
with my life, learn and experience new things everyday. Whether it be staying a
performer, or finding another calling in the arts, traveling or settling down,
finding new coffee shops to get my daily dose of espresso or opening up my own
café, an out of the box person like myself needs an eclectic variety of
activities and a constantly busy lifestyle to truly feel at home. No matter
what project, or six, that are currently taking over my life, I want to find
happiness in everything I do.
