The Best Risk I Took as a First Year

I’ve always been told that college is a fresh start. It’s a place where you can try a bunch of new things and grow into the person you want to be. So, when I moved to Carleton, I was determined to be in activities that were completely new to me. Even though I had done musical theater for 10 years of my life, I felt like I was holding myself back by just sticking to what I was already doing. 

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When the activities fair did come, I found myself looking for a replacement for musical theater. No club drew my interest because I had missed auditions for the things that I had really wanted to do. As my friends explored their interests through Board Game Club and Bridge Club, I started to feel really isolated. I was invited, of course, to their meetings, but I just didn’t find a community that clicked for me. 

Luckily, this is where my Liberal Arts Advisor (shoutout Seth Peabody) stepped in. He encouraged me to go to an interview with the head of the music program even though I was terrified. In the end, he convinced me by asking: “What do you have to lose?”

So, I went to the interview which changed my life. Okay, that might be a bit dramatic. But without that interview, I would not have taken vocal lessons with one of my favorite teachers (Julia Ennen), and I wouldn’t have met my current roommate or some of my close friends. 

Ironically, I took a risk by not taking a risk. By not focusing on what college “needed” to be, I could focus on what I wanted it to be. Contrary to what I believed, continuing passions that I had already discovered didn’t hold me back at all, and actually helped me grow into a more confident person. 

I slowly came out of my shell and found more and more confidence in my performing skills. I started by singing in lower-stakes situations, like studio class, and then moved to bigger productions like the Vocal Showcases. I found a group of people who I really connected with, and who really understood me. We shared interests in performing and music, but we also had really different backgrounds, which made for interesting conversations.

My step into the music department was the first leap into my future at Carleton. After rediscovering my love for performing in a safe and loving community, I felt empowered to take classes like Advanced Acting (with one of my favorite professors, Andrew Carlson) and Playwriting (with an amazing traveling professor, Andrew Rosendorf). Without the music department, I wouldn’t have felt confident enough to take these other classes. I’ll admit that some people thought it was strange that I took Advanced Acting (a level 300 course) without taking any other courses in the theater department. But I trusted my instincts, and I am so glad I did. I learned how to enhance my performances, and as the only freshman in the class, I also learned how to connect with people who were older and more experienced than I was.

Playwriting challenged me in a completely different way. Unlike acting and singing, I’d never spent much time on writing for theater. It was difficult at first, because I not only had to explore my own creativity, but I also had to share that with my classmates. By the end of the course, however, I had rediscovered my voice, and found a new passion in the process.

If performing or writing sounds like a nightmare to you, don’t do it. Although I would always love to convince more students to be in the Theater and Music departments, my bigger point is that you should find what works for you. So, whether you want to join the Math department or Climbing, don’t let anyone stop you, especially not yourself. And, you can always reach out for help. My advisor was always there to, well, advise me about everything from core requirements to personal interests. Even beyond your advisor, there will always be someone at Carleton that wants to help you find where you fit into our community. 

Kate (she/her) is a sophomore from the Bay Area, California. She loves Carleton’s artsy community, and is involved in both the Theater and Dance department and Vocal Studies Program. Kate’s favorite places on campus are the practice rooms, either in Myers or the Weitz, where she is often making music with her friends. When not in class, you can find Kate either walking in the arb or forcing her friends to watch bad movies in a study room.