“Second star to the right and straight on till morning.”

 

That was what it felt like to send my one-act plays out to the world in freshman year. It seemed as if I was shipping my babies off into the unknown—second star to the right of what, exactly?—to reach the faceless artistic communities that promised to mount the winning plays. Sharing my work and baring my heart to audiences required the daring of J.M. Barrie when he premiered his wild idea on a London stage.

 

I collaborated with professional actors, directors, writers and producers. Whether my plays were performed in a school’s church-turned-theater, a white box in New York, or the Stella Adler theatre in Hollywood, we clapped because we believed.

 

I knew I was one step closer to Broadway.

 

I belong at Tisch: where else can I find kindred spirits who’d willingly spend weekends poring over ink on a page? NYU is where I can pursue my dreams of becoming a fully fledged storyteller, adept in screenwriting and playwriting through examining Scorsese’s “The Departed,” taking courses breaking down the “Twilight Zone,” and experiencing plays unfolding in New York. From Skirball to NYC Fringe Festival, I will take initiative to mount my one-acts. At Tisch, I can discuss career goals with professors at Pizza Party Series and break into the entertainment industry in internships supported by the school. Every course in NYU’s core curriculum will infuse my artwork, from learning about quarks to the graphic novel.

 

When I joined a People-to-People Student Ambassador Program to London, I saw the city as a jigsaw puzzle, a beautiful disarray of the past and the present. I felt the magic that inspired Mr. Barrie when I gazed at Big Ben. Every encounter, whether with a fellow audience member in the West End or with the strangers riding the packed subways, left me starving for a deeper connection with humanity.

 

It is experiencing this vibrant life that instills in me a sense of wanderlust and a desire to create. As part of Tisch’s Playwriting or Screenwriting Programs in London, there will never be a dull moment when I am not developing new work, refining my pieces, collaborating with artists or simply being inspired by Theatreland.

 

Perhaps one day, Peter Pan will drop by to hear the stories I’ll tell—stories filled with imagination and hope, crafted with the artistry of an NYU student.