Guest Blogger: Emma Mueller

My name is Emma Mueller and I’m a soon-graduating senior at Biotechnology High School (also simply known as Biotech) in New Jersey. I will be studying the Stella Adler technique in the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in the fall, and I’m beyond ecstatic!

I started performing at a young age and fell in love with it. Little Emma took dance classes and was part of a theater troupe of other little Emmas who loved to sing, dance, and act as much as I did. I started playing guitar in middle school, and I still sing/songwrite along with performing theatrically. I’ve acted within my high school and in the community (shoutout to Two River Theater!), and this year I’m directing my school musical, Willy Wonka!

Now for the other side of my story - I’m a bit of a science geek. As the name of my high school implies, we spend four years learning science, math, and a little more science. When I was an 8th grader and decided that I wanted to go to Biotech, the only thing about the school that didn’t fit me was the lack of arts classes. There was not a single one. Thankfully, the Arts & Entertainment Club was there to save me, and still does - it’s the hub of all creativity at Biotech. Because we’re first and foremost a scientific institution, we don’t get any funding. The entire club is student-run and student-fundraised. Willy Wonka is only the second musical that we’ve ever done. And in my humble opinion, we aren’t so bad for a bunch of biologists.

I think that my science background gives me a unique perspective when it comes to the world of theater. There was definitely a point in my life when I thought that I was going to become a veterinarian or a researcher (of course I’m only 17, so who knows where my life will take me?). While I’m on the acting track now, the scientist in me is still a large part of how I got to be who I am. It’s something that I’ll bring with me wherever I go, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with test tubes or complicated chemicals.