“Being cast in The Addams Family my freshman year, I had the honor of playing Wednesday, and I really began to find my love and passion for theatre and music. I realized how much I loved being on stage and spending time with the other company members, and am so thankful that I had that experience because it convinced me to continue theatre and music for the rest of my life.”

This is Mikaela Schindler, a senior at Erie High. She has been a part of the arts program since she was young, and has found a passion that she will take well into adulthood. She has been in the SVVSD Honor Choir for four years, and has participated in the Colorado All State Choir for two years, and the Colorado All State Jazz Choir for one year.

Mikaela also has had her own adversaries to overcome, like the question that plagues all high schoolers: what they’ll do after high school. “I struggled with finding myself and deciding what I wanted to do post-high school, especially in my senior year. I felt like I didn’t have a destiny and that I would feel lost when I headed off to college.”

This didn’t stop her, and with the help of others, she has found her calling. “People like Mrs. Bird, Mr. Wright, and my voice teacher, Dr. Gilmore helped me realize that music is one of the most important things to me, and that I needed to pursue music to be happy.”

While Mikaela has been helped and affected by those around her, she has also affected them. Since her freshman year, Mora Walker has been friends with Mikaela, and has been impacted by her.

“She’s always been an inspiration to me. She’s inspired me to become a better leader, and she helped supplement my passion for choir. She went from being the cool sophomore that I looked up to my freshman year to being a close friend that I looked up to even more. I can’t even imagine what the performing arts department will be like without her.”

Not only has she affected her friends, but her teachers have been impacted by her as well. Scott Wright, who teaches drama, has seen her grow over her high school career.
“To me what has had the biggest impact on my life is the true dedication she has shown to EHS Theatre over the years of her involvement. Countless hours are spent working outside of our structured rehearsal times; planning events, heading up committees, meeting to work one on one with other students. These are the items that others don’t get to see, but I do. I’ve appreciated her overwhelming devout dedication and love she has given to the department.”

Mikaela is a senior, and this is her last year as a student at Erie High. Of everything she will miss at Erie, the arts program is what she will miss the most. “I’m going to miss my home in the P Wing. I’m going to miss seeing each of my closest friends each day and I’m already missing making art in choir and drama classes. I think I’m going to miss all of the after-school theatre productions and choir concerts the most.”

Her story doesn’t end here though. After receiving a talent-based scholarship from the College of Music, Mikaela is going to “pursue a Bachelor of Music Education at CU Boulder.”

The road might be long, but a strong person like Mikaela will surely make it throu