INDIANOLA, Iowa — With a big heart for performance and a love for being on stage, senior Hannah Friesen’s Simpson experience has encouraged her dream of being on Broadway.

Friesen said Simpson has provided her with great performance opportunities and the chance to work harder, learn more and figure out her voice. She’s also received a large amount of support from her colleagues.

“The staff in the music department really made their efforts to know that I would fit there really well,” she said. “I realized that Simpson actually wanted me and I wasn’t just a number, and that was, like, really important to me.”

Friesen plans to apply for graduate schools and potentially earn the chance to audition in vocal performance singing opera.

“I just want to do what I love,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I moved to New York City and auditioned for stuff because I have a lot of friends (who) live there.”

These past two summers, Friesen worked for College Light Opera Company in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. While performing nine musicals in 11 weeks, she was able to make good connections with people who have worked on Broadway.

“It’s so challenging, but it fed my craving for being on the stage,” she said.

Majoring in music education, Friesen’s time this semester is spent student teaching at Waukee Middle School and Waukee South Middle School. Halfway through the semester, she plans to student teach at Irving Elementary School.

“Eventually, I would love to teach or even open up a private voice studio and have my own students,” she said. “As long as I’m doing music, I’ll be happy.”

Not only is Friesen highly involved in the music department, but she’s also a member of her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.

“Kappa has shaped a lot of who my friends are,” she said. “It would have been a totally different experience.”

Freshman year, Friesen was fortunate enough to meet her roommate match made in heaven, who happens to be her best friend and her Kappa sister.

During her time at Simpson, Friesen traveled abroad on the Madrigal Choir Tour to Italy, France and Switzerland and hopes to go on the same trip this upcoming May.

Although she’s excited for a new adventure after graduation, Friesen will miss the Simpson experience.

Her advice to underclassmen is to “be gracious of things and be thankful for where you’re at.”

Friesen said that college students constantly look for the next step in life and try to plan out their future instead of being thankful for what’s going on in life right now.

“Be who you are,” she said. “Don’t try to be anybody else because things will fall into place, whatever happens.”