Year end reflection

I just got home from the end of year TAD gala, and I want to look back.

What an amazing, terrible, incredible, painful, stressful, joyful, influential, demolishing, and building year it has been. There have been struggles and successes, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I came into this year terrified of what it would bring and how I would react to being thrust into my college life as an underage freshman. I couldn’t have asked for a more dynamic time.

Really the biggest thing that has been so influential on my development has been the relationships and friendships I have cultivated during my year here. I have met so many incredible performers, educators, and friends, and I am grateful for the time I have had here with them. I have had such an amazing time in all of my classes, learning from amazing people and developing my acting, technical abilities, my voice, and my body. And I would be remiss if I didn’t gush over Urinetown for at least a moment. Being cast in my first college production was so humbling and confidence building for me, and the experiences, tips, and joy I found during this production cannot be rivaled.

There have been really hard things too. I’ve had conflicts with people in the program and I regret those negative interactions, but they have taught me the importance of maturity, acceptance, and responsibility, all of which are qualities that I struggle with everyday but will benefit me exponentially throughout my life. It will be very interesting to take these next two years off to not worry about myself or my friends or getting cast or getting good grades. I am at once excited beyond all belief, while simultaneously terrifying me extensively. I can see so much good coming out of it for me, looking at others in the program who have made the same choice I have to serve a mission and their work ethic, maturity, and commitment has made me want to develop those same qualities in myself.

Since this is a blog post for voice and diction, it seems only appropriate to talk about this class and how much it helped me this year. Although there were certainly times that I didn’t appreciate the work we were doing, or I felt it get monotonous, I was always conscious of the semi-miraculous things that were happening with my voice and the health I was bringing back to it after how badly I’ve mistreated it for so long. Coming out of this class, I’m so excited for my future that I can now have faith in, knowing that I can continue to trust my voice to last and be strong in the work that I will have to put it through.

I have loved this year, and it’s definitely bittersweet to leave it behind. I have done so much work that I am so proud of, and I cannot wait to get back here and continue it after taking these much needed years to find myself and serve others. It’s gonna be a good life.