They are the ones that will always be there for us. They are the ones that will always have our backs and support us. They are the ones that ignore our small flaws and accept us for who we are. They come in many shapes and sizes, but either way, they all mean the same thing to us. We love them. They are our family.

But, who says a family has to be made up of two parents and a child? I believe that any group of people that loves each other enough, and share a special bond, can be considered family. Everyone has their own unique experience linking them to a collective group, such as a sports team, choir, club or church. Personally, over the past few months I have been given the chance to bond with some of the most extraordinary people in my school.

At the start, there was only supposed to be a cast of 30 some students, but the director expanded the cast to give more students opportunities. With over 120 kids auditioning for the musical, 50 kids were immediately cut. This was the first year, out of three, that I was accepted into the school musical! I was afraid going in, because I didn’t know many people, but they opened their hearts to me right away. Within a few weeks, it was as if I had known them my whole life.

Auditions were a week long process that took place in December, with the show in mid-March. Everyday from 3 pm to 6 pm, we would get together after school to learn the music and choreography. As long of a time as this may sound, the days, weeks and months flew by! It was odd to learn something new with people I hardly had known weeks beforehand, and not been afraid of being judged. At first I would think things like, “What if I mess up the steps? What would the other kids think of me? Would they think I’m not good enough for the show?” But these worries went away quickly. We were high school kids learning together and sharing a new experience.

Like any normal family, we came together and didn’t care what we looked like. Girls threw their hair up in buns while guys wore sweats. When you love people enough, you can see their inner beauty without needing to see what’s on the surface. We all pitched in, the nights of the shows, to help make each other look crazy with our stage make up. I, being incapable of working make up and hair curlers, was “artistically challenged” in this area of expertise. Up until show night, I had never worn foundation and eye liner. When I asked the cast members what they did and how to use them, they laughed at me, but then willingly helped me out. When you care about someone, you can share a laugh and move on.

I could not have asked for a better group of people to share the experience of my first theater show with. Everyone in the cast, at one point or another, showed how much they cared about me, and we shared a special bond. Some I already shared the connection with before the musical rehearsals had begun, and for others it was on opening night. We all came together though. We chose to become friends. We chose to love each other. We chose to become a family.