This was a monologue that I did a million years ago at my state Thespian competition. It is a very powerful story that is as relevant today as it was all those years ago. The themes of conformity, bullying and standing up for what is right exist for every generation and has become even more so in the years since I was in school.

It was the first thing that I had ever won an award for (and ultimately, scholarship), so I was very proud of it. It was so easy to fall into this character... being a drama nerd, I could totally relate to the feelings of wanting to fit in but being relegated to the fringes. When I was performing this on stage, it didn't even feel like acting; it was simply that personal to me.

I haven't performed it even once since then. So I thought I would turn on the mic to see how much of it I remembered and I was surprised how it all came back like it was yesterday. The feelings I originally had when performing this have long since passed, but I can still feel the echoes of teenage angst and the desire of wanting to be accepted.

The monologue is an excerpt from "I Know I Saw Gypsies", a One Act play adapted by Dr. Tom Erhard. If you ever get the chance to see it, it's truly amazing, made all the more so by realizing that these powerful stories were written by high school students.

​

Thanks for giving me a space to voice this once again. I hope you enjoy.

Edit: WOW....thank you kind stranger for the award. Receiving it feels almost as good as it did the first time I received one for this piece. This made my day ❤