In my freshman year of high school, I went on a trip that was sponsored by the IB theater department. My sister was the Queen Bee of the program, and I was her younger brother who got to tag along. As part of the trip, we participated in a dance workshop.

When we arrived at the studio, I found myself a spot in the back of the room. I was ready to participate, but I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way. In the workshop, we were learning choreography for the song “One Night Only” from Dreamgirls. Our instructor had performed this exact number on West End and quickly set the stage and tone. Five minutes in, seemingly unimpressed with our effort, he told everyone to stop, pointed to an individual three spots away from mine, and said: “If this were an audition, she’s the only one that stands out. From now on, this is going to be like an audition.”

At that moment, something in me turned. Even though I never had a dance lesson in my life, I was furious that his finger wasn’t pointed at me. All of a sudden, I wanted to prove that I was the best. I took in every little detail. Punch. Dip. Twirl. Spin. Dip again. Spin again. I committed it all to memory. Eventually, the rehearsal was over, and it was time for the audition. We broke into three groups. Boys and two groups of girls. We, the boys, went first. There were only three of us. We stood in line while the rest of the group watched in front of us. Our instructor started the music. I nodded to the beat. He clapped us in. I took a breath. Five, six, seven, eight. And I ate them alive.

A couple rounds later, I was going to go head-to-head with the very person whom he called out before. After we struck our final pose, I was chosen for the role. Of course, there was no actual role to be won. However, the competition was very real to me. That day gave me a glimpse into what I can achieve when I compete. I have always been a competitive person, and I believe that it has driven me to accomplish feats I had not thought possible. I want to be pushed to my limits and see just how high I can punch, dip, and twirl.