thanks for the ride, Kappa Air

As my time as the passenger on the Kappa Air Sing act who takes a nap during Pretty Young Thing with a sleep mask and neck pillow ends, I’m going to attempt to sum up what this incomparable experience has meant to me.

When I came to Baylor, and especially after I joined Kappa Kappa Gamma, I knew being a part of Sing was something I really, really wanted to do but the past five opportunities didn’t line up medically and logistically. My dear friend Courtney Bishop mentioned that watching me on stage, she teared up because she knew how bad I wanted to be a part of Sing. We also talked about how my part-acting on an airline chair with no real assigned choreography-was made for me. The part wasn’t designed for me when the Sing chairs dreamed up the act, but I believe it was God knew how badly I wanted to be on that stage. His grace allowed me to have a part where I didn’t have to worry about my health getting in the way and have the once in a lifetime experience of participating in the giant tradition that’s Baylor Sing. In Court’s words, “He’s in every situation, we just have to have eyes of faith to see Him”.

To my family: Thanks for supporting me in this ambitious endeavor and being patient for all the times I said, “I’m sorry you don’t understand, it’s just Sing”, for financially supporting all the Sing make up needs and for cheering me on in something you know meant so much to me. Thanks to all six of you for driving up to Waco for one night for Sing to see me take a nap on an airline seat while wearing a ridiculous amount of makeup on stage.

To my friends: Thank you for your encouragement and support, especially with knowing how bad I wanted this. Your words of encouragement and uplifiting comments meant so much.

To my roommates: I’m sorry I haven’t been home and have unloaded the dishwasher less the last month. Thanks for being the best two roommates I could’ve asked for. Our weeks together are numbered and that thought alone breaks my heart-our deep life chats in the kitchen are limited.
To my fellow extras: Extras extras yeehaw Kappa Air! Thanks for hanging in there together when we had no clue we were doing and just going with the flow. Ya'll were such a fun group to be apart of and I am glad I got to share this experience with ya'll.
To Anna Claire Minter: Oh dear, my Grammy, we had the time of our lives dancing on that stage. I thank God that I was able to share this experience with one of my dearest friends. I already miss watching what silly thing you would do next, hip bumping with you during Beyonce and helping you breathe into the paper bag during Thunder. Above all, thank you for being kind and caring every step of the way, every day. You have a heart of gold.
To Mira, Gabby, Sheridan and Mary: Thanks for dancing on the chairs with me to keep me company and brainstorming new ideas for ways we can increase our outrageous acting skills. Mira, I wish I could be woken up from every nap by you angelically singing to me.

To our Sing chairs: I cannot say thank you enough. Thank you for allowing me to be one of the 200 girls to be a part of this act. Thank you for checking in with me to see how I’m doing when you had a million other things to do. Thank you for understanding when I couldn’t make it to a practice or a tech. Thank you for pulling out of me my ability to be as extra and energetic as possible-I hope I did ya’ll proud and lived up to your expectations. Thank you for making me feel important even though I was just an extra. I had come to terms with the fact that being a part of Sing wasn’t going to be in my Baylor story, despite how much I wanted it to be, and then I got an email letting me know a part had become available. My dream had come true. Thank you for allowing my dream to be a part of ya’lls larger dream. All five of you are truly incredible and I have no words for how tremendously impressed I am with each of you.

To my fellow seniors: Gosh dang it I love you PC16! Thank you for doing my liquid liner and fake eyelashes every night and for sharing your Skittles. Thank you for helping me along the way as I knew nothing, being my first ever Waco Hall show. Thank you for including me, thank you for making me laugh and thank you for making my life more fun. I will treasure each of you forever.

To Baylor Kappa: Seeing a group of 200 people with varying talents and a wide spectrum of abilities come together to execute a single vision that is multi-faceted is more impressive than I can even imagine. The amount of hard work, talent, impactful words, dedication, sweat, hype videos, tears, hairspray, the tiny details,  and glitter on eyelids has never got unnoticed to me as a member but now I simply appreciate it even more having the honor being a part of an act. The memories made, friendships strengthened and memorable conversations had will last a lifetime.

As the sprinkles on top of the icing on the cake, our act received the People’s Choice Awards for Best Choreography and Best Theme Development AND I can’t wait to cheer on this act from the seats of Waco Hall as an alumna in Pigskin over Homecoming weekend. Kappa Air, thanks for the flight of a lifetime.