Eshalla Merriam

I’ve surprised myself in a lot of ways at Northfield Mount Hermon. When I came here, I had never even seen a hockey game, but I tried out for the team. It was frustrating at first. Out on the ice, I didn’t even know how to stop. We lost every game but one that year. But later, with the very same group of girls, we won pretty regularly and had a lot of fun.

 

I also sang in the Select Women’s Ensemble. We were featured on the National Public Radio show, “From the Top.” I felt nervous about being one of three people interviewed by the host, but the singing was fine. We had spent a whole month getting the four, very close parts of our piece down, and we were ready. When we listened to the show a few months later on the radio at a tea party at our musical director’s house, it was great. I was so proud of us. It sounded impressive.

 

Ice hockey and the women’s ensemble were great team achievements, but I also had small, personal achievements. I’ve played piano since I was seven, but I never enjoyed performing. I would completely psych myself out and over-practice a piece until it fell apart. But last winter I performed for the first time in years and then again at the spring concert. It feels great to be playing again. I think there’s just something different about my piano teacher. She pushed me in a way that other teachers hadn’t. It was gentle but  insistent and assured. She showed me what I can do.

 

At Northfield Mount Hermon, I think everybody finds success in different ways. It could be singing on a national broadcast or just conquering your own doubts. It could be in front of every last person you know or just deep and private inside yourself. In other words, it could be big, or it could be huge.