By Kaylee Eiber
Editor-in-Chief
“Could I ever reach the moon?”
At some point, we all get asked what we want to be when we grow up. I remember answering this question in first grade, settling with a ballerina. I’ve never taken a ballet class in my life.
No matter how harmless this question usually presents itself, we’re all under the pressure to have an answer to these huge dreams. Pick the highest possible point in the night sky and reach for it for the rest of our lives.
I always just assumed that my life would follow a path that led to a 9 to 5 job providing financial stability. Music was always a constant in my life but it seemed like a joke to seriously pursue.
But what if I wanted to change it all right now? What if I wanted to trust the universe? What if I wanted to reach for a new dream? What if I wanted to be happy.
In the winter of 2022, I auditioned for Winter Drumline in an attempt to redeem my junior year marching season.
Our show that year, Look Up, depicted a young child full of hope wanting to reach the moon only for life to shoot them down, forcing them to accept their changed dream. Despite the realization that they will never reach the moon, they realize the people around them will always support their decision to look up.
Our directors’ urge throughout the season was that each and every one of us would be able to personally relate, in some capacity, to this theme, embracing our own versions of being okay with change.
Gilbert Nazari. Chaiya Odle. Frances Fitzgerald. AldenChuckEstebanEthanJason.
These names mean absolutely nothing to anyone but myself. Yet, these instructors were the biggest inspirations I could have ever asked for. Intentional or not, these were the people who ended up defining that message.
Through the eyes of these mentors, it became abundantly clear that this new feeling of happiness and fulfillment was something I needed in my future, regardless of whether or not it meant reaching for an entirely new dream.
Change is inevitable and change is okay. Even when you fall short, you can still look up and reach your dreams with the support of the people in the world around you. “I know I can’t reach the moon, but I will always Look Up.”