I know, It’s Wednesday, but it feels like a Tuesday since we had Monday off.

Teenagers get a bad rep for being unruly, making bad decisions and being all around lazy. I work with a lot of kids in this age range whether it be through Boy Scouts, Venturing or theater. In my time volunteering for these organizations, I have met a lot of really terrific teenagers. Kids that are helping other kids, helping their community, or just doing well in school and being kind to others. My mission- to feature some of these great teenagers and share with the world that our future generation is in some great hands.

This week, I’d like to spotlight Emily. Emily is an up and coming actress that has a passion for honing her craft. She has gotten up at 6am on a Saturday and taken the train in to New York City to attend auditions and workshops. The last two summers she spent a whole week in New York with iTheatrics at a camp that pilots young performer versions of popular plays and musicals. In addition, she takes weekly voice lessons, dance lessons and acting lessons. During the fall and spring, she spends every Saturday morning in Philly at the Walnut Street Theater, taking musical theater class to help her improve her singing, dancing and acting skills. During the school year, Emily is a member of chorus, chamber choir and is in the school musicals at her Middle School.

Emily is currently performing in Violet with the Burlington County Footlighters. She’s playing the part of “Young Violet”, the lead’s younger self. You can find the information on showtimes and tickets here.

The training is impressive, but what many people don’t realize is that she has to make some sacrifices to be good at what she loves. I’ve been in the car with her on the way home from a workshop and she’s debating whether she can even attend a pool party she was invited to because she is so late or whether it’s worth it to just go for a half hour to see her friends. It’s a lot of hard work and she handles it with grace and professionalism. And if all the plays and training weren’t enough, she enjoys going to see Broadway shows in New York with her family. She didn’t say it, but I’m guessing her favorite show is Wicked since she’s seen it 5 times!

In addition to her work in theater, she also plays soccer and is an active member of her Girl Scout troop, where she recently won her Bronze Award. 

I got the chance to take some fun photos with Emily. You can tell she is used to performing and loves the camera.

Do you have a Terrific Teen? Email me and you can have a free mini photo shoot and a spot on my blog!

Girl with a serious look on her face during an in home family photo session Family Portraits and head shots in your house Girl winking at the camera during a family portrait