The arts have had perhaps the biggest impact on my life thus far, especially theatre. I started theatre as a way of escape. I was being bullied at the time and had developed some social anxiety, but acting was a liberation from these things. As time went on, I grew more confident, the bullying stopped, and I found that rather than escaping into the personality of a character, I could be myself. The social anxiety still remained, but the positive effects of the arts have stayed with me for years and will stay with me for many more. For me, a community is a group of people with different pasts, different personalities, and many different interests all united over a cause or passion. I have found a wonderful and welcoming community at Bay Colony
