When I decided to come to UNC-Chapel Hill, I decided to go to college in my backyard. This town, the people, and parts of the campus were already familiar to me, already home. But I wanted college to be just that, college. I wanted new experiences and an exciting sense of unfamiliarity, so I sought it out.
Having grown up in my church choir, I always loved to sing. I sing constantly (just ask my brother, he will affirm this statement, much to his dismay). I sing in grocery stores, in the car, on walks, sometimes even in class. But I have never taken it too seriously and have always been too scared to audition for any type of group. So, the start of my first semester of college felt like the perfect time to catapult myself outside of my comfort zone and finally audition for an acapella group, and that’s what I did.
My body tells me I am nervous long before my brain does, and the day of my audition, I was a nervous wreck. My stomach was in knots, my hands were shaking, and I could barely swallow the minutes leading up to my time slot. But what did I have to lose? I forced myself to walk into that audition and was told to stand in the middle of the room, with 15 upperclassmen staring directly at me. And then, I sang. And it was terrible.
When I say it went terribly, it's not my way of being humble or deferential, it was just that bad. So needless to say, I did not make the group, but this was more than okay. I had finally done something I had never been able to do before, I had auditioned and sang in front of strangers, and that is something to be proud of, regardless of the outcome. I look back on that day and laugh, and I am reminded of that moment every time I prepare to speak publicly, because if I can sing in front of people, I surely can talk.
While I did not make the acapella group, I still wanted to join something on campus that pushed me outside of my comfort zone, to have the full college experience. That’s when Blank Canvas Dance Company entered the picture. Black Canvas is an all-levels, all-inclusive student dance group, keyword: all-inclusive. This means that as an organization, Blank Canvas makes no cuts, and this was music to my ears. The last time I had danced on a stage was when I was 5 years old, wearing a lady bug costume. So, in other words, I had no experience at all, but in this group, it does not matter. My friends and I all decided to join, we made it our thing. We pick one, *student-choreographed* dance a semester and attend dance class every week in preparation for the end-of-term showcase. Are we all good dancers? Good may be a stretch, but we have a blast trying as best as we can, and that’s what makes it special. The performance day is exhilarating and exhausting and reminds me why I wanted to try something new in the first place. Being up on stage with the bright lights on you is unlike anything else and having a crowd of friends and family cheering you on, regardless of how you do, makes that feeling even better. I have one more rehearsal before my last recital ever, and I am eager to take the stage one last time.
So, one big piece of advice I give to rising college students is this: Find something that you never thought you could do, and make it happen. Find a group that supports you and pushes you to try something new, and do not let your level of experience stop you. College is a science lab, a place where experimentation is encouraged. So put on your lab coat and get to it.
Click here to watch a clip from my first ever Blank Canvas Dance recital!
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