I am what some people consider to be a very "eccentric" individual, or, to put it bluntly, a "weirdo". I have never been fully understood, but I found a way to express myself perfectly.

Ever since sixth grade, I have fallen head over heels for performing arts. My violin is like my child, and whenever I get onstage to act as a ghost, an evil villain, or a long-lost childhood friend of a World War II survivor, I just feel free. I can be whoever I want to be and not be judged for it. I can pretend, and do things I would never imagine I could do in a million years. It is amazing the rush I get when it is a few minutes to curtain, my heart starts pumping, my adrenaline rushes, and I know that it is going to be an amazing show.

When I first picked up a violin when I was 11, I knew I had found my calling. The way the bow moved across the string, the way the sound reverberated off of every wall for what seemed like forever; it was magical, it was what made me know for certain this was the instrument for me. I have practiced my skill, trying to perfect it, and although I am not perfect, I am proud of my accomplishment. Currently, I sit as the section leader for the second violins. Last year, I alternated between first chair second violin and first chair first violin, otherwise known as the concert master, the highest seat you can be placed in.

There is something that is just magnetic about the arts to me. They draw me in like a moth to flame. I thrive when I am onstage, whether for orchestra or drama, it is where I belong. It is where I am home.