Ever since I can remember, I remember music. I listened to music, made up songs, made up stories, and at one point, I was even a famous superstar while dancing around my room singing into my microphone (which even had a mic stand and karaoke machine). My parents instilled in me the value of a song. Music was everywhere in my home, and singing, that was like a second language. In fact, all five of us can sing, and those family harmonies are some of the best sounds to my soul. We sang while cooking dinner. We sang in tub, in the shower, while doing homework. We sang on holidays, in church, and every single trip in the car- errand, longer distance, road trip- it didn't matter, we were singing. We would memorize how songs sound, their tones, melodies, lyrics, and harmonies, and in those moments of song, we would mimic those sounds exactly. I guess you could say I was originally taught by my family, my church family, and some of the musical greats all over radio in the 80s and 90s. 

     The music itch was unavoidable for us. My mother plays piano (and the banjo at one time), my father played the guitar (and can sing like Elvis), my older brother played the trombone, and my younger brother rocked the drums. I dabbled in piano and clarinet, but I wanted to SING. We were in bible school every year, and I did every church play I could find because it was all so fun! As I got into my teenage years, on occasion, I would sing at church just because someone asked me to. Then came college. I performed in community plays and college plays. It was a very short-lived dream come true. 

     Once I graduated, I taught English. I still sang every free second of the day, but teaching, especially those first years, took up so much of my time. I bounced from job to job during a recession, and one day, my Mom asked me why I hadn't tried to work at Corner. She said she has seen their theatre productions, and they were really good. She thought I would fit right in. I disregarded the idea because I thought, "They can't be that good...." Well, fast forward to 2013. I was in need of a job, and I saw an opening at Corner. I knew it couldn't hurt, so I applied. I interviewed with the infamous Mike Putman, and the rest is history. The most surprising part of my journey is the relationships fostered from our theatre group. Our students strive to be good people, do good work, be empathetic with one another, build solid relationships with each other, and somehow create this environment of healthy friendship and perseverance. It is beautiful to witness and a blessing to be a part of.  

     I will forever be grateful for the advice of my Mother, the mentorship and lifelong friendship of my predecessors Debra Reeser and Mike Putman, and the students of CTA for helping me to keep that music of my soul alive and beating vibrantly on a daily basis. They are all always CTA kiddos to me, who have filled my life with happiness and laughter and completely enriched my days. They are my forever family.