The Night My Dreams Came True

I’ve always had two passions in life: singing and writing. I stutter when I talk, but not when I sing. I was involved in chorus for seven years, from middle school through high school. Singing is a stress reliever for me; it allows me to let go of whatever is bothering me. When I told people that I wanted to sing, one of the responses I would get was, "You’re in a wheelchair; how can you be a singer?" I never listened to those comments, and I wanted to prove them wrong. While in chorus I always tried out for solos in our school concerts, but I never made the cut. In middle school, we had karaoke days where students would bring in a CD and sing along to a certain song. I always brought a CD so I could participate in the fun. In my junior year of high school, there was going to be a talent show and I wanted to be a part of it. My tryout - where I sang Mandy Moore’s "Candy" - was successful. Any free time I had before the show, I spent practicing the song. The night of the show I was nervous but excited, and when it was time to hit the stage, there was no turning back. My heart pounded wildly as the music began to play. I took a deep breath and started to sing. The more I sang, the more comfortable I felt. For the first time in my life, I felt free and I had so much fun. When I finished the song, I heard a roar of applause and people screaming. Everyone in the crowd was on their feet; it was a great feeling. As I came off the stage to sit with my mom, a girl approached me and said, "What’s your name?" and then, "Oh my god, I love you!" I may have chosen my passion for writing as my career path, but I will never forget the night when the Palm Beach Central High School stage was mine. It gave me an opportunity to shine. At that moment, I knew that dreams really do come true and that there is nothing to stop me from achieving all my dreams.