Every little girl dreams of becoming a princess when she grows up. Disney has made sure of that. I was no different. I looked up to Cinderella and Rapunzel, for they had it all. Of course, I knew it was not practical to dream of a dashing prince saving me from my evil step-mother, for I had neither character in my story book. But, because theatre takes up a big part in my life, I always hoped that someday I would be able to play a princess somewhere. I never knew how soon this would become a reality.

Being a senior in high school, I felt it suitable to start making my own money. I scoped out the job scene, making note of every fast food cashier worker and Hollister sales assistant job available, until I got an unexpected call from owner of You Made It!, the pottery painting shop in Downtown Harrisonburg. I’m no artist, so I was hesitant as to see what she had to say. She informed me that one of my friend’s moms had recommended me for a rather peculiar job. You Made It! had been looking for someone who would be willing to entertain children for birthday parties as “Elsa” from the new movie musical, Frozen.

When Frozen hit the scene in 2013, Disney knew that they had made a masterpiece. A year later, children are still lining up for the chance to meet their very own ice princess in the flesh. I, too, was a fan of the poppy hits and show-stopping number “Let It Go”, sung by the ever-so-talented, Idina Menzel. I, just like the rest of the world, had caught the contagious bug.

You Made It! was planning to host Ice Princess themed parties for children who asked. They had gotten several requests and decided to make it happen. This is where I come in. After getting the call, I was overjoyed with the possibility of actually portraying a princess in real life. I had to go in, because she had never actually met me, to sing for her and prove that I could pull off the part. Once we discussed the logistics of my first party, the date was set. Elsa would premiere on November 16, 2014. I was super excited, yet kind of nervous, because 30 four year old girls were coming with high hopes of meeting the real Elsa from Frozen and I knew that I could not disappoint.

As the party neared, I got ready and studied up on the movie. On the day, I went to the shop to get in costume and makeup and calm my nerves before it began. I knew that everything would go swell, but I was nervous about performing the huge hit, “Let It Go”.

Some of the little girls entered and the expressions on their faces when they met “Elsa” made all the nerves go away, for they believed that I was really her and it was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Upon arriving, they took pictures by the Christmas tree with me and got my autograph. As I was taking a picture with one very timid little girl, another rushed into the room and promptly screamed,

“IT’S THE REAL ELSA!”

What she did not know was that I was just as excited to see her as she was me, for she was the first to actually exude any other emotion besides a face of awe. She quickly jumped into my lap and squealed, “Picture time!” as we posed for a couple pictures. Her mother had this face of “She’s a reaaaaally big fan”. I found it weird to stay in character as Elsa when the Mothers and Fathers knew that I was just an employed teenager. Even so, I was so excited to sing with all of them and help them color their Elsa pictures.

When the time came for me to sing, I stood in front of the entire crown of 50 or so people and did my best. Sure, I’m no Idina Menzel, but it could have gone worse and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Afterwards we ate brownies and I answered questions about Elsa and engaged the kids in singalong activities.

I am super grateful to have a job such as this as a high school student. Not that working fast food is less of a job, but I do enjoy being able to do what I love and make kids’ days.