Today is Saturday, February 11, 2012
Today is Saturday, February 11, 2012
Like a fairy godmother, MTV’s “MADE” came to the school with the promise of turning students into their dream person, just without the midnight complications.
But contrary to what Hollywood would have us believe, not every guy wanted to become the football star, nor every girl the cheer captain. From the inspiring to the eclectic, the 28 who auditioned reflected a wide range of hopes and dreams that was anything but homogenous.
“MADE” provides high school students with the tools to be “made” into a person they dream of. The show first came to the school on Wednesday, March 24.
Each applicant stepped into the interview for a different reason.
For some, “MADE” kindled lifelong dreams and aspirations.
“My dad wanted me to be a singer when I was a kid and he would teach me songs and bought me a karaoke machine,” sophomore Kelly Medina said. “I felt it could be something I could try again.”
Kelly is not alone in applying to “MADE” because of long-harbored dreams. Students such as sophomore Chris Hamilton, who also applied to be a singer because he’s “been singing [his] whole life,” and junior Randy Gonzalez, who has “wanted to be a model for a while,” saw “MADE” as the opportunity to pursue their aspirations.
Like the average high school student, those who auditioned for “MADE” had entertained goals all their life but never found the time to pursue them. After hearing about “MADE,” however, they dusted off the dreams they had long since put away, as was the case of freshman Emily Rubin and her interests in clothing and couture.
“I’ve always been interested in design and fashion and thought that this would be a good way to start a possible career,” Emily said.
Not everyone applied to pursue their life goal; many auditioned for “MADE” for something daring. “It’s not like this opportunity comes every day,” junior Jasmine McGee said.
The sheer number of possibilities, however, meant that choosing what to become was sometimes the hardest part of the process. Like trying on outfits at a mall, applicants tried on a variety of identities to find a perfect fit.
Kelly “considered a bunch of crazy things” before settling on a singer.
“Here is a chance for me to do anything I want like become an extreme bungee jumper,” Kelly said. “In the end the ones that seemed more realistic to me [were being a] model, kick boxer, skateboarder [or] singer.”
Some applicants decided that the perfect fit was their exact opposite. Wanting to show the world she “had a tough side,” for example, freshman Jacqueline Scher applied as a football player.
“People view me as a girly girl so I wanted to show people I could do something out of my range,” Jacqueline said.
Jasmine was another student who tried testing the waters of something new as a surfer.
“I’ve always wanted to learn, and a lot of my friends surf,” Jasmine said. “So I just decided to go for it.”
In addition to breaking out by trying their hands at sports, students tried their feet at dance and their voice at song. For example, sophomore Lauren Amorese, who describes herself as “super self-conscious,” applied as a salsa dancer because of the confidence of the dancers, who she sees as “confident, sexy, graceful.”
“I would never refer to myself as bold or sexy,” Lauren said. “I’m definitely not graceful. I feel like salsa dancers are about as opposite as it gets.”
But whether applying for dreams or fancies, applicants found themselves smack in the spotlight on audition day. Many, of course, were nervous even before stepping in front of the judges.
“I was so nervous for the audition,” Randy said. “I couldn’t really concentrate in class the whole day because I was wondering how the audition was going to go.”
There were some embarrassing,
yet memorable moments.
“I was nervous so I had to keep asking what else I had to say,” Lauren said about her salsa audition. “At the end, he said to throw in a salsa move so I shimmied with a confused look on my face because I didn’t know a salsa move.”
When the auditions were finished, the 28 applicants took sighs of relief and contemplated what life would be like if they indeed got accepted into the show. Some are cautiously optimistic, especially about being in the limelight for a month.
As Lauren put it, “it would also just be weird to have a camera following me around school.”
In case they don’t get in, then there are always other TV shows.
“I’ll start singing again and maybe perform at a karaoke night and try out for ‘American Idol,’” Kelly said. “Hopefully I become a better singer before I decide to try out for American Idol.”
