Unexpected Success

My name is Emma Finley

I'm 19 years old

And I live in Madison, Wisconsin

When I was still a child I had a dream of becoming a singer

My parents told me that I had a beautiful voice

And it made me so happy

I could spend long periods of time singing in my room

But when I went to high school, everything changed

One day..

Students were asked to audition for a role in a play

And the role needed someone who could sing

I thought that this was my chance to shine

I signed up for the audition

In the days that followed, I practiced

I sang the part over and over again

I sang to my mom,

I sang to my mom, I sang to my dad

I even sang it to my grandma

I even sang it to my grandma and she's deaf

I was so desperate to win

Being a singer had always been my dream

And this was my chance to get recognized

When the day of the auditions arrived I was very excited

When my turn came I slowly walked over to the stage

I was very nervous

But I tried not to show it

I started singing

My voice was a bit shaky at first but it stabilized

Everyone was silent as they listened

The judges looked quite impressed by my voice

I was about to finish when someone shot a spitball right into my mouth

And I choked

All the students started laughing

I was embarrassed but because of the practice and effort I had put

I knew I couldn't quit

I carried on from where I had left until I was finished

People applauded but most of them were laughing

I went home and cried

All the practice, all for nothing

What made it worse was that someone recorded everything

And uploaded the video on Youtube

The video got a lot of views fast

And people started calling me the pathetic singer

I regretted why I had even developed an interest in singing

Just as I expected, when the audition results were announced

I didn't win, I was last

I cried a lot. My life was ruined.

A few days later a woman came looking for me at my school

She told me that she was from the Manhattan School of Music

One of the top all-around schools for vocalists in the U.S

She told me that they had seen my video of me singing

I was embarrassed, but what she said next totally changed my life forever

She told me that they were amazed at how I didn't quit

At how I continued singing even after I choked

She told me that she was offering me a place at their school

I thought I was dreaming

I talked to my parents about it and they agreed!

Right now I'm studying music at Manhattan School of Music

And the person who shot that spitball at me

I'd like to say thank you

To whoever who uploaded the video on YouTube

I'd like to say thank you, although you wanted to ruin my life

You actually provided me a unique opportunity!