After my first year of college, this summer has been reflective and has made me look back at my year and consider my emotions as well as my wants and needs. Getting out of college I felt so relieved to be back at home, to have some sense of familiarity back in my life after facing change after change for the past nine months. 

There is one thing that is always, always going to be a priority for me. This was the case in high school and remains the case in college, and my hope is that it continues to be a priority as I move into the real world. That thing, as you might have suspected, is theater.

It's a given when you get involved in theatre, or any fine art for matter, that you will have to audition and that you will have to face rejection. No one warned me, though, that the time in between those two events would come with its own onset of emotions and potentially be the worst part of the whole process. 

If you remember from my very first blog post, I went into this summer kind of bummed because my summer was shaping up to be something completely different than what I envisioned, and as I write about what the rest of my summer looks like, I see that this summer is looking to be a summer of achievements, career growth and fun, and I’m really proud of that.

Writing has always been a sort of escape for me and because it proved to be something of use to organize my busy life, I intended to take full advantage of it. You’d be surprised by how many hobbies can become useful tools in your day-to-day life as a student.

Just because you have a past with something, doesn't mean you need to bring it into your future. Change can be scary, so when is it worth it?

One of the most beneficial things I can do for myself is to plan my weekdays in advance. It helps me in feeling more organized and less worried.

A few years ago, there was a TV show where one of the characters had a new, wacky job virtually everyday. She bust in with a new costume and career plan day after day. That is kind of how this summer has felt for me.

This past month, I’ve embarked on a couple different adventures– working with children, being a camp counselor, and helping get a show up on its feet. The rough part about this… I was doing them all at the same time. For the first time. Me and two other women had ten days to get 15 seven year-olds to put on a 20 minute musical, which was quite the show in itself.

With so many exciting things ahead, I can’t help but reflect on the past two years of undergrad. There have certainly been ups and downs, but for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m able to look back and be proud of myself and the progress I’ve made, both musically and personally.

'Few things inspire me more than seeing people pour themselves into something they’re truly and deeply passionate about. So, I wanted to ask some of my classmates what it is that inspires them.'

I have been having a hard time maintaining the proper class/work/training balance in my life recently. What has been helping me manage my time? What hasn’t been helping?

It was really cool to see all these ancient theaters, and all the history of Ancient Rome. We toured the Colosseum, which is technically a theater as well! It’s an elliptical amphitheater in the center of Rome, and it’s the largest standing amphitheater in the world.

The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do as a performer is nothing. Musical theater can be very hard on a performer’s physical and mental health. It is important to find a healthy balance between working and prioritizing your health. This balance has always been difficult for me to find.

'Throughout my life, I’ve struggled with burn out from overworking myself. I set impossible standards, and then become increasingly frustrated when I don’t reach them...My first year of college has been transformative for me in many ways... I’m making huge strides to becoming more organized, and managing my time more effectively.'

Getting things done can be tough, but hopefully this article can make it a little easier. There are a lot of things that make productivity hard, and as someone with ADHD, I've found a few ways to make productivity easier.

I’m still learning how to be more effective in managing my time, but I hope these strategies on staying productive this summer were helpful! They’ve been very helpful for me. I’m definitely going to bring these strategies with me into the new semester.

Keeping up training during the summer is challenging without having a structured work environment. My biggest advice is to make structure for yourself! Find a friend to train with you over the summer…or if you’re like me, and you really like structure, find a summer job like mine that allows you to work in your element all day! 

Here’s a guide to what I’ve learned that helps me keep my life together, even during the busiest of times. Spoiler alert: for the most part, I’ve just gone back to the basics.

Summer is the ideal season for theatre students for many reasons: summer stocks, the sleep we never had time for, and of course, simply having the spare time in general. We have so much time on our hands now (unless you’re like me doing summer stock work) sometimes it may be a struggle finding ways to spend it all. There are plenty of things you can do to stay productive while still enjoying your vacation so you’re more than prepared to reenter a busy school year.

Time management takes practice just like any other skill. Being great at managing time will be a tool that will help you in any walk of life. It will always feel like you are juggling a million things, but the balancing act will get easier over time.

If you read my post last month, you know that my summer plans include working, learning, and creating. But it's been about seven weeks since my summer break started, and I haven’t really done that much. That's when I figured out what's been missing. Deadlines. 

There's a consistent pressure I feel as a young actor to be constantly submitting and putting myself out there. Sometimes you've got to remember you're a person first and take care of you before you can do that.