Sophomore Evelyn Barrera didn’t hear about the auditions for the fall play until Friday, Sept. 10, the day that they were set to begin. Upon hearing about the auditions from a friend, Barrera resolved that she would try out. She then reported to the theater to participate in auditions that she had only heard about earlier that day. 

The following Monday after auditions, the cast list was announced through Instagram on the La Salle Theater page.

Barrera scrolled through a series of posts, each featuring between six and seven photos of the two cast members with their roles below their name — 25 photos and names. None of them were hers.

Barrera got in the car to head home, disappointed, as she thought that she hadn’t been cast. But just moments later, her phone began to go off with exciting texts of good news and congratulations from her friends.

Barrera landed the Queen of Hearts.

Following this emotional roller coaster, Barrera was led to view a new post with her picture and role, captioned with a pun referring to the Queen’s most iconic line, “off with her head.”

But acting isn’t where Barrera’s theatrical passions end, as she would also love to possibly do costumes in future productions.

In the meantime, Barrera has joined the Fashion and Passion club. Barrera loves how the club allows her to meet new people who she can make memories with. 

“Sometimes you mess up when you’re sewing,” Barrera said. “And you have people to laugh with you instead of feeling guilty.”

Barrera reflected a lot about how important it is to understand that you can “turn a mistake into a positive,” and use it as an opportunity to learn, which is a lesson that she has received through her experience in the Fashion and Passion club.

Another creative outlet for Barrera is art.

From her shoes, to her water bottle, to even her first ukulele, Barrera paints on several mediums. 

Although she has since moved on to guitar, Barrera started to learn ukulele in the sixth grade, around the same time it was gifted to her.

Before coming to La Salle, Barrera had attended public schools her entire academic life.

Since Barrera heard that La Salle was difficult to get into, her expectations for acceptance were low.

“I had the mentality that I went to public school my whole life and there’s no way I [could] get in,” she said. Upon receiving mail welcoming her to La Salle, Barrera cried tears of joy with her family.

Despite coming to La Salle in the midst of a pandemic, Barrera said that the past two years have given her an opportunity to find herself and from her confidence, which she is grateful for.

“I feel like it was just a call from God,” Barrera said.