Get to know Maggie Short: the student who does it all.

Most high school students make it their goal to be involved inside and outside of school. For junior Maggie Short, being involved has led to success. Short recently played the lead of Anne Frank in the school’s production of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Not only does she spend much of her time acting, but she also created and actively participates in the Gay-Straight Alliance at Potomac Falls, takes weekly piano lessons and works part time at Old Navy. 

“I think it’s important to be involved throughout high school to keep it interesting and make the experience worthwhile. Education academically is one thing, but there’s some things you can’t learn in school that you get through participating in extracurricular activities. Theater has taught me a lot of unexpected things that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life,” said Short.

Being this involved is often a struggle for many students, including Short. However, she has figured out the best way that works for her. Short often times has to change her work schedule to make it work with her rehearsal schedule, along with the other activities she is involved in.

“Maintaining a balance is really hard, and I mess it up a lot. I definitely keep very busy, but it’s worth it,” said Short.

Although Short is involved in a wide variety of things, she spends most of her time acting. Short began acting in third grade, participating in shows at her private school and attending summer camps until high school began. Short has been in 13 shows overall and has had a role in all of the shows at Potomac Falls for the past three years, including “Willy Wonka”, “Wizard of Oz” and “Fools”. All of this hard work paid off for Short when she was cast as the lead in the most recent production, “The Diary of Anne Frank”.

“I was really nervous when I first found out I was the lead. The first words I said was ‘I’m going to vomit’ and then proceeded to reread my name to make sure it was right. But after, I felt really honored and it really validated my position in the drama department,” said Short.

A good support system is essential for being successful in high school. For Short, the most influential and supportive person in her life has been her best friend, Alexa Thomas.

“She’s always really supportive and comes to every show no matter what. She helps me run lines so I can memorize them and just generally improves my life with her sense of humor and friendship,” said Short.

Even though Short has dedicated most of her time in high school to theater, she has decided against pursuing acting as a career. Instead, she plans on attending either Mary Washington University or Virginia Commonwealth University to major in philosophy and minor in theater. Short would then like to work in the psychology field.

“I want to work in the clinical psychology field as a therapist. I don’t want to pursue a career in theater because of the instability, but I don’t want to lose it completely,” said Short.