My parents always talk about how when I was younger, everything I did was a performance. Apparently, I loved being the center of attention. When I was in the first grade, I saw my “big girl” next door neighbor in FPAC’S Holiday production of Tis the Season. Immediately I was enthralled and begged my mom to sign me up for a Musical Theater class. Singing “Blue Suede Shoes” was only my first step in taking a comfortable walk to the stage.  The next thing I knew, I was taking jazz, voice, Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, performing troupes and then became involved with Electric Youth. Electric Youth! I have been a student at FSPA since 2000 and each year my involvement has flourished. Now FSPA is a lifestyle and a true home away from home. As a youngster at FSPA, I was oblivious to Electric Youth. I mean I had all the CD’s, just never truly fathomed how extraordinary the performing actually was. It wasn’t until I saw the black and white outfits up on stage and having them perform right in front of me, that I knew I had to be just like the girls singing.  

Of course I always thought going to Europe for three and a half weeks would be fun, but what I did not know was that it would be more than fun, it would be life changing. The bonds I made along with the experiences I shared cannot even come close to justified by the thousands of pictures and stories I have to tell.  Truly there are no words to describe an EY tour. Just imagine 17 best friends on their adventure to become a family. By day, it is being immersed into a whole world of new cultures, laughing, learning and relaxing and by night, it’s about doing what we love: performing! I cannot even begin to describe how an audience of 3,000 looks as your standing there on stage.

I cannot wait to add a whole new group of friends to my extended family here at FSPA. Electric Youth is a family of my closest friends and an adventure I could not have anywhere else. Whether we are practicing in rehearsal, performing for the community, or in a European show in front of thousands, all I can do is smile and think of how lucky I am to be partaking in something I thought could only come true in a story of “Once Upon a Time.”