“I graduated college and I knew I wanted to come to New York, but I didn’t know how I was going to get here because I didn’t know anybody here. While it seemed sort of daunting and scary, I knew it was the place I wanted to go. So, shortly after I got out of school, I got a job doing a show in Philadelphia. I met people there who were already living in New York. That was the springboard because I had ended up meeting some whose apartment I stayed in. I went home from doing that show and then moved here, staying in my friends apartment for several months. After that, I got myself oriented to the city and just started figuring it all out. It seems so long go because, well. . .it was so long ago.”

“Did you face any obstacles getting out here?”

“Not really. I did have a mentor at a community theatre where I worked growing up that had a conversation with me. He said, “I am proud of you, but I am a little surprised given your personality–a little bit quiet and shy–that you are making the move to New York. It’s a foreign place and you don’t know anybody out there.” He had never expressed this previously because obviously he didn’t want to discourage me from my goals and dreams. My parents were always supportive. I’m sure they were a little worried. Or, a lot bit worried. I guess in terms of being here, the biggest obstacle or struggle was just trying to figure out how to establish a life and career in a brand new, large city away from anyone I knew. I think it’s kind of like anything, if you put yourself out there. I was responsible for me making things happen. It was only up to me. It was a sink or swim situation. I didn’t necessarily know exactly what I was doing but I knew I had made the decision to do this. I was here and I had to figure out how to make it work. I suppose I have done that over the years.”

“What would you tell young people about pursuing their dreams?”

“I think the main thing is to follow your instincts and your gut. If you have a dream and you can vaguely see a way or a place where you can make that dream happen, you have to do all you can to figure out if you can make that happen and make the dream come true. It’s likely never going to be easy if you’re moving to a new place or trying something new. I think the main thing about it is if you have a passion for something, you can’t ignore it. As cliche as it sounds, if you have a passion for something you just have to go after it. A lot of times there isn’t a road map for it, especially careers or aspirations in the arts. Even if it seems like there is a road map, There are so many variables that it might not be what you think it is. The biggest thing in my field is not to compare yourself to what others are doing or achieving–even getting when you’re not getting. It is a run your own race kind of life. To compare is to despair.”

“The thing that continues to give me hope is that I still have a drive and a passion for what I am doing. When there are down times, there is always hope that something will come along. My current job is a great example because I spent the better part of two years not working in my field and, out of the blue, this job came out of nowhere. It’s not going to last forever, but it is good and I am happy doing it.”

“Another thing I was thinking about is it seems like dark times more often than not these days. However, a lot of things I see theses days are younger people are constantly giving me hope such as those who lead by example. People of a younger generation are seeing the not so great things in the world and are finding ways to combat that, making it better. That is such a great thing because there is also a segment of the population that–of all generations–are so caught up in their own lives or their own screens or misfortunes to see the good things around them.”