Madeline's Story

Starting high school, I was full of goals. I wanted to play sports, be involved in theater, have friends and be (somewhat) popular. Soon enough, I saw that things just weren't going my way.

I didn't make any sports teams, I failed my theater audition and everyone seemed to be too involved in themselves to reach out or care about other people. Fast friends seemed to drift away and I was more desperate than ever to find something or someone to connect with.

I knew that theater was a long-term goal and something that I really wanted to improve on and be able to come back to. However, it seemed as if I had hit a dead end.

When we had our mandatory meetings with our class counselors, I made a leap of faith and decided to transfer out of my art class and into the chorus program. Being in chorus exposed me to a whole world of people who shared the same aspirations as me. Soon after that, I joined a school Improv Club.

Coming out of my shell at the Improv Club was hard, but everyone, from seniors to freshmen, was so supportive. I felt a new sense of family and enjoyed being able to hang out with older kids and people who I would never have thought to associate with before.

Even though I sometimes felt lonely or different at school, I could always look forward to after-school chorus rehearsals, dance or an improv show. With my new friends beside me, I worked as hard as I could to reach my prized goal of making the next year's musical.

What I realized was that I had been looking for "normal" when I didn't even know what that meant for me. Being part of something — even though it was something I hadn’t expected — made me more confident, and everything seemed easier to get through with real friends by my side.

Last Reviewed: January 2020