Finding My Voice: A High School Story of Fear, Performance, and Becoming

High school has a strange way of making everything feel like the end of the world. One sideways glance in the hallway, one whispered laugh during lunch, one moment of tripping over your own feet—and suddenly, it feels like the entire school is watching.

And I was never the kind of girl who felt comfortable being watched.

I was the girl who sat quietly in class, doodling in the margins of my notebook, pretending to be invisible. I was the girl who always hesitated before raising my hand, who rehearsed her answers in her head ten times before speaking, and sometimes never spoke at all. I was the girl who knew the lyrics to every song on the radio but whispered them quietly so no one would hear.

The truth is, I was terrified of being seen.

But somehow, life has a way of nudging us—sometimes gently, sometimes forcefully—toward the very places that scare us most. For me, that place was the stage.

The First Rehearsal

I remember the day I walked into the school auditorium for choir auditions. My hands were sweating so badly I had to wipe them on my jeans every few minutes. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, and the rows of red velvet seats seemed to mock me—an empty audience waiting to laugh.

My name was called, and for a second I thought about running. My heart pounded against my ribs, every muscle screaming don’t do it, don’t do it. But somehow, my legs carried me forward, step by trembling step, until I stood on the stage.

I opened my mouth to sing, and at first, nothing came out. My throat tightened, my lips trembled. But then, slowly, a note broke through. Then another. And another.

I wasn’t perfect. My voice cracked, my hands shook. But as I sang, I felt something shift inside of me. Something I didn’t expect.

I felt… alive.

The Fear of Being Seen