I had just finished a production as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at Fine Arts Association in Willoughby, Ohio. The artistic director at the time was Fabio Polanco. He approached me after Oz closed and asked me if I would consider auditioning for his upcoming production of Missionaries. I knew nothing about it at the time, but I wanted to work with him, so I decided to give it a shot.

That audition process alone was unlike anything I had done. I still remember how all the auditionees were asked to walk around the room improvising and creating a community setting where we all related to one another. We also did work on keeping rhythm through different exercises with the music director. It was the most challenging audition I had ever done, but it's what made me truly want to be a part of this production.

Prior to auditioning for Missionaries, I had never known about the tragedy that occurred. The cast began rehearsing three months before opening to properly prepare. We did extensive research, created detailed character biographies (a project which I had never done before, but which taught me the importance of research when recreating historical characters and events), and learning the music, which in itself was extremely challenging. The harmonies and rhythms were more difficult than anything I had worked on before. Our music director, Josh Senick, had us walk around the room and practice rhythm exercises at every rehearsal to help us get the music in our bodies. Fabio also had guest speakers come in to talk with us about the events that occurred.

 I am upset because I actually missed a very important talk where a woman came in with actual recordings of Dorothy Kazel's voice. During the beginning of our rehearsal process I was simultaneously rehearsing for a production of Oliver at my high school. I had over-committed myself, but I couldn't give up doing Missionaries. At the same time, I felt I couldn't disappoint my high school because they had offered me the lead. So I somehow managed to get both of my directors to agree to let me go to two rehearsals for each of the shows per week - meaning I missed rehearsals for each show every other night. Once Oliver closed, I remained at Missionaries daily. It was a lot at the time, but I'm so grateful I was able to work it out.

Missionaries was unlike any other production I had ever done before. I realized while we were doing the research that prior to Missionaries, my perspective of musical theater was all fantasy. I had done The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Into the Woods, Annie, etc. but nothing that was based on a real historical event, or something that was so meaningful and potent. It made me realize that theater had the power to communicate something much greater than simple entertainment.

Very different! Here's how that came about. A couple of years after I was in Missionaries I performed in a production of Anyone Can Whistle at FAA, also directed by Fabio (Spring 2005). Toward the end of the run, Fabio approached my friend Devon and me (we were the only kids who had been in Missionaries). He told us that rumor had it Liz Swados was trying to do a concert version of the show in NYC in December of that year. He didn't have any more details, but she had mentioned to him wanting to have actual young adults in the production. I became ecstatic!

 But in the fall of that year I contacted Fabio and he told me he hadn't heard anything. It was my senior year of high school, and I was beginning to audition for musical theater programs, but I couldn't get over the fact that this incredible opportunity could be possible, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I contacted one of the women who had played Dorothy (Kazel) in both our production and the BAM production that Liz had directed. She hadLiz's e-mail address, so I decided to send her a message. I wrote her a letter telling her how I had heard about the production she was potentially putting together and how much I wanted to be part of it - how much the production had meant to me. I wanted to let her know that if she was still in need of kids and was still interested, I was ready and willing to be a part of it.

 Some time went by, and I started to think she didn't need us after all, but one wonderful day I got a message from her personal secretary inviting me to be a part of the production. The concert was only two performances in two weeks with a few rehearsals in between. I was going to have to miss school.  My amazing parents, impressed by my determination, decided to help me make this work. I had to explain to my teachers what I was doing, but many of them were very excited for me. We stayed with my mom's relatives who live in Queens, and I rehearsed for the first time in NYC at the age of 17. It was a dream come true.

This was my first concert experience. It was interesting for me because we were doing the concert with our books in hand. I was lucky, though, that I had already done the show and was just getting a brush-up. We had learned the music over the course of three months, but a lot of the newer members were having to learn the music in a matter of weeks. That amazed me.

 I remember my first rehearsal. It was just the music director and I. We reviewed the music, and even I was amazed at how much I still remembered after two years. He also heard me sing my parts as Delfy and the final song in the show. I soon came to learn that I was going to be singing the same parts I had done in our production, and I was thrilled!

 Later on I had another rehearsal, this time with the whole group. There were some college students, Devon and I, and three of the four women who had played the leads in our production. It was a blast getting to work with them again, especially in New York City!

I will never forget the moment when I first met Liz. I was extremely nervous, but I went over to the piano in front of the stage at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Liz wanted to hear me sing the final song in the show, "There Are Days." It was an incredible song and I had the honor of doing it in our show in Cleveland. After I sang the song, Liz hugged me with tears in her eyes. I can't fully remember what she said, but I do remember the experience was one I will never forget, with a woman I respected so much for her incredible writing. I felt like I had earned her respect, and seeing as she had written the music that I was singing, that meant the WORLD to me.

My favorite song is definitely "There Are Days."

I also remember always watching the women who came in from New York to play the four leads. I respected them so much. I would watch them perform every night and admire their professionalism, talent, and dedication to their work. I especially loved Rachel Stern's performance as Jean when she sang her first song arriving in Salvador. I would always watch that from offstage and admire her work. (Funny story, but during the run I had a day in school where I could go somewhere for "Career Shadow Day," so I decided to take the four women out to lunch! I knew I couldn't follow four New York actresses and really get a taste of what they do, but I figured the next best thing would be to talk to them about it.)

I also loved the beginning of the show because my friend and I would walk through the audience and onstage with candles for the start of the production and sing "Kyrie." The harmony in "Kyrie" was one of my favorites.

But probably the best moments were the happy ones - when we were all celebrating as a community onstage in songs like "Campesina's Welcome" or "The Lesson" (both cut from the abridged concert version). There really wasn't a song I didn't love singing in the whole show.  I loved it all.

During the process of being in the show, I remember taking more time to truly think about my faith. There were moments where Fabio told us not to "put on" the image of prayer onstage but to truly celebrate our own faith, whether it be more physical or more internal. He wanted it to be more outward since these people had such a strong faith, but that was hard for me. I've never been the type of Catholic who lifts my hands in the air in church. But I started paying more attention in church and trying to connect more deeply with my own faith in order to make it more present and powerful onstage.

The one experience I had that really affected me, and one that I will truly never forget, happened after opening night. We had invited the brother of Dorothy Kazel and his wife to the production. We had a talkback with the audience and cast after the show where they were able to ask us questions, and at one point during the discussion, Dorothy's brother stood up in the audience, tears in his eyes, and thanked us for telling the truth of his sister's death.

It was at that moment that I realized the incredible power of theater: to communicate the truth about what's going on in our world and to have an impact on people. I realized that theater had the power to potentially change people's perspectives and get them to think in a different way. I realized that theater was more than entertainment; that it was truly an art form to be revered, respected, and preserved. At that moment I wanted to do theater in order to promote these things - in order to have a positive impact on society and to encourage people to think and make changes for the better.

I wrote about this experience in every single one of my college essays because it made me realize why I wanted to pursue this craft and why the arts are so important in society.

This is always such a hard question to answer. Whenever it pops up my first thought is of my parents. They are the most selfless people I know. They gave me life, unconditional love, and everything they have in order to provide me with the opportunities that have shaped a beautiful and fulfilling experience thus far.

I think that's what defines a hero to me: someone who is willing to give up anything for the people they love - even if it means his/her life. That is the ultimate sacrifice. I honestly don't know if I would have the courage, but I truly respect and admire the people who are willing to give up their lives for what they believe in, and for the lives of others. True selflessness - like what these women did for the people of El Salvador. They are true heroes in my eyes.

There are many performers I admire for their talent and accomplishments, but I will never forget when I had a private coaching on the song "The Beauty Is" with Kelli O'Hara. She had played one of my dream roles, Clara in The Light in the Piazza. I think one of the major reasons I will always admire her is not simply because she's incredibly talented and a beautiful individual, but because at the end of the day, she took the time out of her incredibly busy schedule (she was starring in The Pajama Game at the time) to have a TWO-HOUR coaching with a little girl from Mayfield Heights, Ohio - a no-name with big dreams in musical theater who admired and respected her work. I will never forget that experience. It would have been so easy for her to not make the time, especially since she didn't know me, but the fact that she took the time meant so much to me, and I hope to be like her one day. To be well respected in the field, but to always make time to give back and to encourage young artists to pursue their dreams.

I knew since the age of thirteen that I wanted to pursue musical theater as a career, and from then on I never changed my mind. I started singing when I was nine years old in church. I was pulled out from the children's choir by one of our directors and got to sing a solo at our Christmas Mass in Silent Night. From there, I auditioned and was cast in Compassion, a touring production that my church did across the greater Cleveland area. That was my first theatrical show, when I was in fourth grade. I still remember the late nights on the weekends when my mom would drive my friend and me back from the show - we were only in a couple of scenes as the children's ensemble, but I was able to sing a solo in that as well.

 My first major role wasn't until Annie. I was terrified at the audition, but I ended up being cast and played the role of my dreams. I'll never forget what happened. I was in a production of Annie at the Geauga Lyric Theatre in Chardon, Ohio. It was my first dream role. I had watched the movie growing up and I wanted to be her. I was so dedicated that I cut my hair and dyed it red! So for every show I would have to go two hours ahead of time to have my hair curled. (I actually looked pretty good as a red-head!)

I remember one of my hair dressers saying one day, "So, do you think you want to do this when you grow up? Are you going to study this in college?" And I replied, "Well, can you study this in college? I didn't know you could!" They told me yes - that you can study and pursue performing as a career. And I think from that moment on I was set. Once I knew I could study theater and pursue it as a career, I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. I had side thoughts sometimes about what my Plan B might be, because you always hear how difficult it is to pursue a career in the arts, but despite everything I heard, my passion for it was never deterred.  I always knew it was what I wanted to do, and I've never been able to picture myself doing anything else and feeling truly as fulfilled as I feel in the theater.

 From there, I heard about Fine Arts Association through a friend and decided to audition for Peter Pan. I wanted to be Tiger Lily,  but I was offered the role of Wendy and got to fly for the first time!! From there I started focusing on productions at my high school.  I was a waiter in Hello, Dolly! and then went on to do Rapunzel in Into the Woods.

 In my first couple of years of high school I was still really into sports - I had played them for the majority of my life, especially soccer, and then transitioned into cross-country and track in the beginning of high school. I did Show Choir and School Choir a couple of years as well, but the theater was calling me. I got a phone call from a friend my sophomore year encouraging me to audition to play Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at FAA, and I had to take it! After that, I continued doing theater at FAA, including Delfy, then Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and finally Luisa in The Fantasticks.

 I have been fortunate enough to play many leading roles leading up to college. That helped me a LOT growing up because it gave me confidence with creating a character onstage, and with each role I was able to tackle new challenges. Since being in college, I have been able to do new and old musicals as well as straight theater. I was in Tales from Ovid as Echo my freshman year, a Snow Child in Carousel sophomore year, and then in my junior year played the title role of Ella in Ella Minnow Pea, a new musical based on the book of the same name by Mark Dunn. I was also given  the opportunity to perform in 42nd Street, which was a wonderful experience. I had never been in a "dance show" and hadn't tapped in a show before.

 I've also worked at the St. Louis MUNY, where I did High School Musical and got my Equity card. That was another major milestone in my career thus far.

Wow - that's a hard question. You know, after I went through the whole "college auditioning process," I wanted so badly to reach out to any prospective students I knew. It's such a difficult thing to go through. You put so much pressure on those auditions because they determine where you will train the next four years of your life. But if I were to narrow it down, I would say this:

Do it because you love it. Amazing work comes from the heart because you love the work you do. You shouldn't pursue the theater because of someone else's wishes or for the wrong reasons, because at the end of the day, it's not easy. You'll only make it if you truly love it, because then it doesn't feel like work. It's simply what you love to do, and you're willing to put in the work to pursue it. Secondly,

Believe in yourself! Don't give up if you feel you truly have a gift to share and you are passionate about it.

And lastly, I would recommend for everyone to go to college. Granted, it's not for everyone, but I have to say that my four years of training at the University of Michigan have been some of the best years of my life. The training was invaluable, and I owe a lot of my growth and success over the past four years to this school, the incredible faculty, and my peers. I think it helps you not only to develop your craft but also grow into an adult, ready to take on the world of the Big Apple.

Just that - to take on the Big Apple! I am only a couple of months away from completing my academic training, and it is truly bittersweet. Upon graduation, I will go to New York and perform in Senior Showcase for agents and casting directors. I hope to sign with an agent, and from there I'll begin auditioning as much as I can in order to network and search for work. I'm excited to finally begin pursuing all the opportunities in the theater world. I've worked very hard over the past four years and I'm ready to go and make my dreams a reality!