The Ball State L.A. Showcase was the vein and passion of my senior year. Then on May 6, 2003, after spending months of planning and rehearsing, I finally made it to Los Angeles, Calif., to show Hollywood what I could do. Along with 11 other seniors, the showcase consisted of four monologues and four scenes that were performed live and eight filmed pieces that were shown to casting directors, agents, and managers. After the half-an-hour show, we met and talked with the audience for feedback and started a network of newfound friends.

This project was the most memorable experience I had with Ball State. We started to organize and prepare in October 2002 and continued through the school year with fund-raising, rehearsals, meetings, filming, and mailings until finals week. I didn't have time to think about graduation and leaving my friends due to working on the showcase. The next thing I knew, I was sitting at commencement and wondering what happened to my senior year.

The next morning I was off to L.A. Our first day there we spent in ABC's studio. In the morning, we had Bob Harbin work with us on our showcase pieces, and he answered some questions for us. Then in the afternoon we had a group of alumni come in to talk to us about their lives in L.A. Following the workshops, we were given a tour of the studio and a chance to see a General Hospital rehearsal.

Early the next morning we met at the Globe Theatre to rehearse our showcase--and just like any other show, we ran into some problems. Some of our actors were late and lost, our screen for the films wasn't large enough, and we were running out of time. But after making a few phone calls and giving directions, we were back on track.

Our first showcase took place at noon. We had a smaller audience than expected but still had some good feedback. It was great to see some alumni from last year's showcase come to support us. Then our night performance was rather full, and the small theatre with intimate seating made for great audience response. Everyone in the showcase received something positive from the experience, whether it was just a few names and numbers to call, internships, or even offers for auditions.

The L.A. Showcase really gave me a great start to my life as a professional actress by setting up a network of people. Better yet, the showcase introduced me to alumni of Ball State who are willing to help me in my transition to L.A.--just another reason why Ball State is so great.