Student Blogger: Olivia Clark

Writing is so much more than expressing ideas on a page, and if done with sincerity, it can take a surprisingly long time–that may be my biggest takeaway from my first attempt at blogging. 

At an elite dance studio in my hometown, dancers show up for practice like clockwork.But these dancers aren’t worried about triple pirouettes or perfectly pointed toes. They are there simply for the love of dance and the love of each other.  

I am a week away from the midway mark in the pursuit of a college musical theater degree. It’s halftime. Shouldn’t that mean I am several steps closer to self-assured plans for the future? 

As a 13-year-old musical theater fanatic on her first trip to New York City, I stood at the Winter Garden Theatre stage door on a hot August afternoon in 2019.

I owe gratitude to many women–ancestors, family members, teachers, friends. As the final hours of Women’s History Month tick by, I want to dedicate this post to the women in my life who have poured love into my life’s foundation.

There it was–part invitation, part demand–put before me by my college voice instructor, Dr. Marilyn Govich. Though I may not be entirely accurate in my recollection of her words, I distinctly remember the message.

My mom came to musical theater through me. I am not sure why she wasn’t already there. My earliest memories of her include dancing and singing. Read BroadwayWorld's student blog.

It wasn’t so much the class work or the demands of a college musical theater program that were difficult, though that all kept me on my toes. It was dealing with surprising peer conflict that weighed on me like boulders in my backpack.