ASTEP changed my life. I remember working with a student who didn't speak English very well and no matter how hard the teachers and I tried, he just wouldn't budge. Each time during journaling though, I would notice he would start writing a little bit more than the day before. Soon enough, he was participating in improvisation exercises in Drama class and dancing in the front row for dance choreography class. Using the ASTEP mission statement, as teachers we created a camp that allowed for this student to experiment with all forms of expression, despite the language barrier that existed. At the final performance, right before he went on stage to play his solo guitar gig, he looked into my eyes and said- I will never go into something with a negative attitude. It was in that single moment that I knew that even if these students don't go on to be famous performers on Broadway or incredible musicians playing at Rockefeller Center, they now had the confidence to take on the world. Without ASTEP, that wouldn't have been possible.