Hello all! Only three days and a lot of packing stand between me and the big city! And to say I'm excited is a little bit of an understatement. I'm checking the weather daily, and this trip is constantly on my mind. I have a mixture of nervous and excited energy for many reasons.
I looked through some of the blog posts from previous years and I'm most looking forward to all the lessons and advise we will receive from all of the people we will meet. I know I will be overwhelmed with information and my hand will get tired because I'll want to write everything down but I'm so ready for it! I'm especially excited for "The Hustle" with Logan Tracey. She has a lot of experience with resumes and working in the performing and business worlds. I'm excited for her feedback on my resume, and the other participants of course. I think building your resume is such an important skill to have and having a professional look at it will be extremely valuable!
            Of course I'm looking forward to the shows. In my life I've seen a few professional shows and even a couple in New York but it was quite sometime ago. Learning what it's like to live there, and then seeing what the performers do day in and day out will be a completely new experience.
           I'm both excited and nervous for my interview with Ana DeArchuleta. She is the president of ADA Artists Management and I'm very proud that I get this amazing opportunity. I want to know about how she got in that position and what helped her get there. She deals with many, many venues and many, many performers to get them auditions and gigs. I think that this is an important part of a performers career that isn't talked about much at the University. (maybe it is with the performance majors, I don't know) but I really don't know anything about how being an Artist Manager works, so I know I will learn an immense amount of information from her.
           Things that I'm nervous about: directions, how to get places, and getting lost. I've always been AWFUL at directions and knowing where I am. I kid you not, my middle school was in the shape of a square with 4 hallways and I got lost in it. This is one of the things I want to work on a lot while I'm there. I want to make sure I know where I am and how to get to my destination, and also make sure I give myself enough time to get everywhere on time! I know that this experience will help me grow as a person, give me new insights, and be an absolute blast. I think it's really appropriate that it's in the New Year, a marker of new beginnings and change, because I definitely think this trip will be life-changing!

Bring it on, New York!!!

-Leah