Now that we’re in the midst of Fall Quarter, I’m constantly reminded of the many reasons why Northwestern has me excited to get out of bed each morning and onto campus. Having spent the entirety of the Summer Quarter giving tours to prospective students, I would usually end my tours talking with families about my favorite Northwestern quality – ample extracurricular opportunity.

This quarter, I’m lucky enough to be able to focus on what I hope to be doing after college – choreographing musical theatre. In addition to taking various choreography classes – which give me opportunities to practice my craft –, I’m lucky enough to be choreographing Heathers The Musical as presented by Arts Alliance, a premiere arts group on campus that produces a full main-stage season.

Choreographing outside of class is special because I have the chance to practice what I love all day long. The chance to absorb all of the genius that my professors provide and then carry it over into my evening rehearsals not only feeds the energy of my projects but also gives me a sense of growth and legitimacy to my work in student organizations.

Just yesterday, I popped into one of the first vocal rehearsals for Heathers, and I was blown away listening to our brilliant cast. Although I won’t actually begin dancing with them until a week from now, it’s always inspiring to see a group of students dedicating so much time to professionalism outside of the classroom. That type of dedication, no matter if it’s theatre, consulting, engineering, journalism, etc. – Northwestern is a place where you’ll find students taking all of their gained knowledge in classes and putting it to use immediately that evening.

At rehearsal for “Heathers The Musical.”