The decision was made. I was going to go home second semester and probably never come back to Chapman. I’d knock off some GE credits at Montclair State, maybe get a job, and possibly transfer to Ithaca in that fall. I did not have all the details sorted out but I knew one thing for sure: I needed to be home second semester of my freshman year.

Dad was going to come out and help pack and we’d work out storage and all that headache inducing stuff. I’d emailed my adviser to talk to him about interrupted admission and I had already started making forms to do a semester of classes at Monclair State. The wheels were in motion here. There was no turning back. No ifs, and, or buts about it: my mind was made up.

Until it wasn’t.

With one week left until I was home for good and would probably never go back to Chapman, I saw the post on Facebook to audition for Richard Nixon’s Big Adventure and that tonight was the last night. Didn’t really think much of it at first because what’s the point, but as that day went on, that Facebook post lingered. I couldn’t get it out of my head. Call it hope, call it optimism, call it whatever you want, something in my head told me go to that audition, knowing full well you probably wouldn’t be there next semester.

I was going to audition for a musical about Richard Nixon for no reason, and giving myself only 8 hours to prepare.

I knew what I wanted the outcome to be. Audition, not get a part, bolt to NJ. One final rejection from the school as I headed out, but also having closure and peace of mind of auditioning.

I walk into the room at 10 PM with no care in the world. Nothing was at stake. If i got, yay that. If I didn’t, equally fine. It was playing with house money. With my monologue printed out in my hand since I had no time to memorize a whole monologue I sing Harry Styles for 30 seconds in front of Bridget, Kyle, and Emily. I then had to do a french accent, Russian accent, and do a fake news segment and think of something funny right on the spot.

Honestly, that audition was the most fun I had all semester.

I walked out of the room with a smile face in a semester full of depression homesickness. Noticing that smile made me ponder: maybe I should go back this semester if I get a part. If. It was new, it was exciting, it was fun based just off the audition. It was the thing you craved first semester that you could have second semester.

2 days later, the email for callbacks come and they want to come back and read for some lines. I was stunned and honestly, mostly annoyed crazy enough. It through a wrench in my plans. It made have to make a tough decision after one was already made in mind.

I reluctantly go to the callbacks thinking “OK this has gone one far enough, I’ll do this callback, not get the part and head on home”.  That never happened.

The callback was even more fun than the audition I was. I had laughed more that day than I had all semester.

Two hours later, I’m offered the part and I immediately accepted. Didn’t even run it over with my parents.  If that callback was anything like rehearsal would be, I was willing to take that risk and go against fixed plans I had in my head. The whole thing was the definition of sheer impulse.

Impulse saved me, impulse kept at Chapman and made me awesome friends, amazing memories and four awesome shows of Richard Nixon’s BIG Adventure.