Contributor: Casey Ackerman

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One who stopped believing an hour before the email was sent,

one who traveled from New York to Nashville performing for large crowds,

one who was forced by his mother to audition,

one bound for Yale, singing for her resume,

one pair of friends who screamed Can you believe it?,

one group from Rutherford who gave up their lunches for this,

one who said I am proud of myself for this first time,

one who walked at a fast pace, wore a bowtie, and wouldn’t dare miss a rehearsal,

one whose father said Music will never get you anywhere in life,

one who has been to Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and Turkey playing eight different instruments,

one whose mother said Perfection is the only path to success,

one who will never sing again after high school,

one whose mother always sits in the front row, crying at every concert,

one who always shows up late, never forgetting to leave his music scattered on his bedroom floor,

one who is classically trained, who spent her summers in and out of practice rooms,

one from a small town in North Jersey who always sings off pitch,

one who has been to New York City thirty seven times, seeing a different Broadway show every time,

one who said I am good enough and was.


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Casey is a senior at Pompton Lakes High School and plans to further her education at The College of New Jersey as a Music Education major.