I am usually a creature of habit and the last person to try something new. There is nothing I hate more than uncertainty; I dislike trying new food, I refuse to drive to a new place for the first time and I tend to not place myself in social situations unless a full handful of people I know are in attendance.
That being said, I even shocked myself when I decided to audition for Boston University On Broadway as a second-semester junior. Being so involved with The Daily Free Press during the first half of my college career dominated most of my time for extracurriculars, so now that I am no longer on the editorial board, I thought this was the best time to try something new on campus.
Theater has always been a passion of mine, and I missed performing on stage more than anything since I have been at BU — BU On Broadway was the perfect opportunity for me to get back on stage. I went back and forth with the idea of auditioning for a while, but with the support of my friends I auditioned and was cast in Legally Blonde!
At first I was thrown off by the idea of auditioning as a junior because I felt old and felt like I wouldn’t be able to find my way in a tight-knit group of people. I actually almost backed out about an hour before I planned on heading to auditions. Now I am still adjusting to this new group, but auditioning has been one of the best decisions I have made during my two and a half years at BU. It pushed me out of my comfort zone to try something new, meet new people and rediscover my love for performing. With every rehearsal and every new cast member I talk to, I have become more comfortable and happy about my decision to audition.
Getting involved in OB has also connected me to the BU community in a greater way than I thought possible. We always say that COM is a small, interconnected community within BU, and I have always found this statement to be true; when I meet a new COM student, chances are we have many mutual friends and somehow have various connections to each other. But, joining OB made me realize how large our campus is and how much larger my web of acquaintances and familiar faces on the street has expanded to in the past month just because of my decision to try a new activity! Now, I get excited when I see another Legally Blonde cast member in passing on campus and to catch up with them at rehearsal.
I am here to say that it is never too late to get involved in something new, on campus or beyond! If you want to pursue a new love or reignite an old, there is no time like the present, especially in college. You never know who you’ll meet, what you will learn about yourself and what kind of experiences you will have because of this step out of your old ways. After all, college is all about discovering yourself and your passions, right?
