December 10th, 2024 shall go down in history as one of those moments where I shined, literally. At our school’s holiday concert (Surfin’ Santa: A One Act Musical Play), I had big speaking parts, and let me tell you, the spotlight was definitely on me! I was nervous at first, and some of that shine came from my sweaty forehead, but once I got into the groove, it felt awesome to be up there, representing my 5th grade class as “Willy.”

Not everything went as planned, though—halfway through, a kid in the front row lost his cookies all over the risers. (Yuck!) It was not a cute look. Or smell, for that matter. Thankfully, the rest of us managed to hang on to our cookies and power through. I nailed my lines, and despite the unexpected drama, the show went on!