I met Mrs. Neidl in the ninth grade on a stage-design team for a play and she was one of the directors. Almost instantly I loved her. She had an unpleasant voice and a direct way of speaking, 1 she was encouraging and inspiring. For some reason, she was impressed with my work and Mrs. Neidl would ask me for my 2. She wanted to know how I thought we should 3 things. At first I had no idea how to answer because I knew 4 about stage design! But I slowly began to respond to her 5. It was cause and effect; she believed I had opinions, so I began to 6 them. She trusted me to complete things, so I completed them perfectly. She loved how 7 I was, so I began to show up to paint more and more. She believed in me, so I began to believe in myself.
Mrs. Neidl's 8 that year was, "Try it. We can always paint over it 9!'' I began to take 10. I had been so afraid of failing but suddenly there was no failing—only things to be 11 upon. I leaned to dip my brush into the paint and 12 create something.
The shy, quiet freshman achieved success that year. I was 13 in the program as "Student Art Assistant" because of the time and effort I'd put in. It was that year that I 14 I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing stage design.
Being on that stage-design team 15 Mrs. Neidl changed me completely. Not only was I stronger and more competent than I had thought, but I also 16 a strong interest and a world I hadn't known existed. She taught me not to 17 what people think I should do. She taught me to take chances and not be 18. Mrs. Neidl was my comforter when was upset. Her 19 in me has inspired me to do things that I never imagined 20.
