While all the ITO candidates this year are strong, it is an especially strong year for Region II candidates. Here is a taste of their leadership potential.
When asked what her favorite theatre memory is, Liz Coin from Bettendorf, Iowa writes (or rather, confesses):
"Once upon a time I understudied the role of Mimi in RENT.
If you don't know, Mimi is an exotic dancer who traditionally wears blue spandex pants for her iconic song, "Out Tonight."
This was my first time playing the role, and I was extremely nervous. Mugs upon mugs of tea were consumed earlier that day, so when the time of performance came I was.... well-hydrated. And nervous. Quite nervous.
The show started. Things were fine. The need to go to the bathroom was strong, but tolerable. Until about five minutes before the big number.
"I can't hold it anymore. I don't have time to go outside." (there isn't a bathroom backstage of this community theater)
SO. In my time of need, the girl who played Maureen blocked the green room door and I... took advantage... of the pack of Styrofoam cups sitting backstage.
Nothing about me is fast or athletic, but I ran that day. I yanked up the tight, blue spandex pants, ran to the dancer's scaffolding, and Mimi-d my little heart out.
Meanwhile, my two best friends dumped the cups outside behind the building. They will never look at Styrofoam cups the same again. True friendship."
In response to who his role model is, Keelly Jones from Sedalia, Missouri, writes:
"If I were to as a representation of myself, a single role model to reflect who I have become today, I would I would be incapable of doing so, for my influences have been molded by a joint effort of two individuals, these individuals being the honorable President Abraham Lincoln, as well as the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I understand that these two great men are iconic in their likeness, but there is no doubt in my heart that I would not be where I am today, even just sitting here, responding to such a profound question, without their contributions. Both of these men have provided the gateway to what I can achieve today, and everything I was able to achieve yesterday. I can do and be anything I want to because I want to because these men fought for me to be considered equal with the rest of the world. I have come to live by their standards, striving to encourage and provide a foundation for increasing the appreciation and work ethic found in others, inspiring them to become as forceful and just and powerful as the great men and women who walked this earth before us, in our universal ambition to become tomorrow's next great change."
And finally, when Emilee Cruchelow was asked the same question, she wrote:
"Like many of the other candidates said, I have taken a few days to think about this question. I had to ask myself what a role model truly is. Most obviously, it is someone who's behavior or success could be emulated by others. It's a person who people can look up to in their day to day life. It's someone who has made a positive impact on my life. After considering all of this and thinking it over for a few days, I have decided that there is no other person who fills the part of my role model better than my mother. I have learned so much from her simply by the example she sets for me. Everything I have learned about work, responsibility, and getting things done has come from her. She is the most hard working person I know. If she's not at her part time job, shes working extra hours at her full time job. She goes into the office on weekends to be sure all of her work gets done. My mother does whatever she can to provide for me. She knows and wants whats best for me. I have learned kindness, acceptance, and open-mindedness from her. My mother shows her love and affection for me everyday. There are a number of traits for which I look to my mother as an example. I am grateful for the example she has set for me and helping set the foundation for who I am. I am lucky to call her my mom."