Student Blog: Back-to-School: Discovery & New Opportunities

2025, while proceeding achingly slowly and all-too-quickly all at once, is in full swing. It is proving to be a year of discovery and new opportunities. One of the opportunities I am incredibly grateful to have received was this one - of student blogger for Broadway World. I have a feeling, though, that I am not the usual type of student this role goes to. 

I am 28 years old and will be graduating this May with a Master’s in Foreign and Second Language Education from a Florida university. I am currently taking my last two classes required to complete this program. They are about the role of identity in language learning. I am finding the classes to be personally relevant in ways I did not expect. I have always had trouble deciding what I want to dedicate my life to as a career. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in History, which I am passionate about given my life-long love for arts and entertainment history, and social issues. That was a journey in and of itself but choosing my master’s proved even more complicated than I would have wanted. I ended up deciding to attempt to study to become an English as a Second Language educator. While I am in my final semester and this field does interest me, things took a slight turn last October. The loss of someone very important to me led me to question my priorities, my path, and who I am or who I want to be. This is where my passion for entertainment - like theater, enter the metaphorical chat. 

I have always been astounded by the magic of making art specifically in this way. It seems so magical to be immersed in a new story and to be able to bring characters to life. I feel like this is a way in which I can connect on a deeper level to others and to myself. To sing and to be a part of something that seems so much bigger than myself seems like a whole other type of freedom. I have always reacted viscerally to live performances. I marvel at the limitless creativity that can fill a limited space. I marvel at the bravery and vulnerability of performers. I will, however, stop myself here before I end up going on a full, starry-eyed rant. The thing is, I have always been quite shy. Unfortunately, I’ve been led more by fear of trying new things than by anything else. The passing of my family member was like getting ice-cold water poured all over me. I started to question everything. What do I want to do with my life? Who am I or who do I want to be? Why live in fear of failing instead of living in the exhilaration of trying? 

To cut a long story short (because I could drab on, trust me), I found courage. I was finally able to open up to some important people in my life about my artistic dreams. This was a big step in and of itself because I felt like these dreams would forever remain locked inside of me despite me being the one holding the proverbial key. After that, I signed up for voice lessons at a local non-profit dedicated to arts education. I am not sure if I even have talent, honestly, but I am taking these steps because I have the passion. I just have to see if this is a real possibility for me. I also signed up for online singing classes with a performer I have followed on Instagram for years and admired for quite a while. 

I confirmed that I made the right decision when I had the incredible privilege of going to New York City in early January. I got to see a few Broadway productions during my time there: Romeo + Juliet, starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler; Hadestown, featuring Phillip Boykin, Jordan Fisher, Maia Reficco, Allison Russell, and Lillias White; and The Lion King. All of them left me mesmerized. I almost ended up with a dislocated jaw because it was honestly on the floor from amazement the whole time. These performances and performers made my goals seem “real” in ways that I had not experienced yet. I have a loooooot of work to do though.

In the coming months, I am going to continue doing that work. I hope to slowly find my footing and gain more confidence. I want to continue finding my voice, both metaphorically and literally, and developing this craft which I hope to one day be able to call mine. Throughout that time, I will start auditioning for local productions or artistic opportunities throughout Florida. I am also trying to find more educational opportunities within the arts realm. No matter what this goal ends up turning into, I hope I can find any type of opportunity within the world of theater and the arts. 

While it is definitely cliche and there is some recklessness attached to it, the phrase “You Only Live Once” has been the one guiding me these last few months. If you got this far, aside from thanking you for reading my spiel, all I can hope is that you have these take-aways: It is never too late to start trying to make your dreams come true. You have a voice and it matters (no matter what). You may have more power than you think in trying to change your life. So, next time you hear someone say “YOLO” like we’re back in 2012, cringe all you want, but take it to heart.