After years of hard work, three girls got the chance to show off their talent.

Theater students Carly Haynes, Katie Haynes, and Raleigh Turner, traveled to the Texas Educational Theater Association for specialized workshops and college auditions, all receiving callbacks, with Carly getting a full ride offer from University of Southern Indiana.

“We were told ahead of time that it is very uncommon for juniors to receive callbacks,” theater director Melissa Toomer said. “We were just happy they got a chance to perform, and when we heard they got callbacks, it was huge. For a junior to receive a callback with universities present, it’s a big deal.”

Going to auditions as a junior is rare, as most are seniors hoping for college acceptance.

“I feel that going to college auditions as a junior is really going to help me,” Turner said. “I am that much more prepared for next year, when I actually do audition as a senior, so I definitely feel like it is a good thing.”

Besides preparing for the future, these girls are constantly working on their art.

“I think I have some of the hardest working kids,” Toomer said. “On top of all our productions, we have them working on their auditions for colleges.”

Auditions can be very stressful and hard on students, so many have to find a way to deal with nerves.

“You have to make sure that the whole time you are doing [the audition] for you and not for anyone else, not for your parents, not for your friends,” Turner said. “You are just being there for yourself.”

The girls have accomplished many of their successes with little help from others.

“I don’t think I can credit [their achievements to myself],” Toomer said. “I think my job is to encourage and be the voice of support for them.”

Although the girls have achieved so much, more is to come.

“I still have a long way to go, and I think this experience has really helped me learn,” Carly Haynes said. “I think that I still have a lot more to accomplish in the next year, and I plan to accomplish as much as I can.”