Growing up in a small suburban town outside of Philadelphia, PA, I spent most of my afternoons making up songs to serenade the trees in my backyard.

It wasn’t until a concerned neighbor came over to ask my mom if she knew that I was doing this and whether or not she had considered putting me into therapy or musical theatre class, that I realized there was a socially acceptable outlet to release my creative passions (...therapy came later). And it came with bright lights, costumes, and an incredible array of talented human beings. Once I found theatre, I never left. It's home. 

In high school, I didn’t believe in myself enough to audition or try to pursue a college degree in performance, so I trained and performed for fun while I studied Elementary Education, French, and History at The University of Virginia. In my final semester, I had a quarter life crisis while reading The BFG to a class of fourth graders. 

By stepping away from performing, I was suddenly able to see how much it mattered. I closed the book and decided to embrace my fears , pivot, and pursue a Masters degree at New York University in my lifelong love: musical theatre.

After graduation (where I received an additional advanced degree in vocal pedagogy #overachiever)...