This past year at Wagner College has been a whirlwind, but I’m halfway through my junior year. After taking off two years due to the pandemic and limited performance opportunities, I went back to Wagner College in the Fall of 2022. As a Music Studies major, most of my classes are music-based, and I’ve gotten to take some really fun courses this last semester, including Conducting and Orchestration. I’m looking forward to a Jazz Harmony class this spring, which will branch out from the typical music theory content. As well as music classes, I’ve also gotten to take a dance course every semester, so I’ve taken tap, jazz, and ballet. It’s been fun to explore all the different styles that make up musical theater. I’ve also taken some science classes, Astronomy 101 and Psychology 101 in the past year. I’ve continued to work on auditioning at school and have had several callbacks and audition processes, in person and online. Outside of school, I had a busy summer. I was so happy to return to the MV Playhouse’s outdoor amphitheater to play Sebastian in Twelfth Night. We were supposed to have a month-long run, but it was so popular it extended to five weeks. In August, I helped develop a new character at a workshop for a new play named Storyfied at the Playhouse. I also continued to work on-island. I’ve continued to advocate for transgender rights as more anti-trans laws are passed and we get closer to the election. I hope to try and educate people just by not hiding myself away. While personally, it was an emotionally taxing year, I’m extremely grateful that I got to go to college. It’s been a privilege to be able to do all this, and none of it would have been possible without MVYouth.