I was a calm, to-myself kind of kid. I always read books and did well in school. Of course I did an extracurricular activity; I played soccer. Seems pretty typical right? I kind of had a social life, only being in the 5th grade. I wasn't really worried about friends. I was just trying to focus on school. But one day, I decided I was going to audition for the school. I went to a performance during the summer of 2010 and I was so amused by what I saw. At the time, I didn’t know that the people who were performing didn’t go there but I was so entertained and excited to see what they were going to do.

One performance that I can vividly remember is when a young man was on stage dancing with his young daughter. She was around one or two years old so it wasn’t really a dance. He was just moving in the moment with his little girl. I didn’t really know much about the school though. When I was in elementary, my music teacher always encouraged 6th graders to audition. I always looked at the audition information paper like, “That’s going to be me auditioning one day”. In the 5th grade, I started writing songs and stories. So doing that kind of gave me a head start. I didn't really know about poetry that much, but when I was in summer camp, we studied Maya Angelou a little and I fell in love with her work. In 6th grade, I took the chance at auditioning for Creative Writing. I checked on the website so many times about what they were looking for in a writer and I even asked someone who went there what they had to do when they auditioned. I was so worried about doing the right thing and giving it everything I got. The day finally came for me to audition. Of course I was nervous, but I knew I was going to do good. I got to the school and of kids were there. I saw people I knew before at my previous school and said hi to them. They called us to go to the room and I knew then that it was showtime. I went to the room and just pick a seat. When I looked around the room the first time, I saw snow falling outside and the nice art that illuminated the room. I didn't really know anyone in that room, maybe 2 or 3 people. I scoped the room for a second time to see what kind of competition I had. It was pretty quiet. The only sound you heard was the occasional footsteps in the hall and the man telling us what we were going to do. He gave us three themes and we had to choose one and write a story based on the theme we picked. I don’t remember the exact theme I picked but I knew it was something like, things never change. I decided to write about a girl who got bullied, tried to change her ways to fit in, and still didn't get accepted. We had plenty of time to write the story. I got finished kind of early so being the hardheaded 12 year old I was at the time, I went on and wrote another story. We were only allowed to write one, but I took the risk in writing another just in case they doubted me at first. I was satisfied with the work that i did. I just knew then I was going to get in because I was really good at writing short stories. Well, that's what I thought at the time. Of course I got yelled at later on in the day because I told my mom about the two stories. In the end it was all worth it because a few months later I got my acceptance letter. I also got into another school which is one of the best in dayton. I was supposed to move to Cincinnati but I didn't. So I ended up choosing the arts school with no hesitation because I had been wanting to go there for so long and I worked really hard to get in. I knew then that the pencil and paper was my best friend; something I can confide in and keep me company. I also realized once I got in that hard work does pay off. So does worrying about the end result. Once you put your mind to something, you have to do your best and what you can so you can have a good outcome. You never know what could happen unless you try. That’s something I learned after auditioning. Maya Angelou really helped me become the writer I am today as well. I love to study her work and read her poetry. I knew I wanted to be like her when I got older; inspiring others to go for what they want and to let others know that confidence is key. I didn’t know that I would be reading poetry and then writing it almost everyday. It’s a step at a time process. The world needs more writers. Just like Maya inspired me, I hope my story inspires others to chase their dreams.