In January of 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped onto the stage of the Public Theater in Manhattan and uttered these words before a live audience for the first time:

"...There's a million things I haven't done, but just you wait."

In the two and a half years since Miranda's artistic vision of Founding Father and actual financial wizard Alexander Hamilton exploded into life, the American Musical has been met with resounding acclaim on popular and critical levels. The original cast has transcended mere popularity and launched into stardom, even performing at the White House. They have consistently engaged with the public on an intellectual level about the complicated nature of the founding of our nation and the men and women who established it. The show has literally spread across the nation, touring in New York, Chicago, and now Los Angeles.

But honestly? I really don't think I need to say another word about how thoroughly this musical has succeeded and resonated. I don't have to tell you about how amazing it is. Hamilton doesn't need my words to make it seem cool--it does that just fine on its own.

However, I can tell you about what this remarkable musical has done for me--how it honestly changed my life.

I first discovered the soundtrack of this incredible work in the fall of 2016, after hearing buzzing words and glowing reviews about it from friends and acquaintances for months. I finally looked it up on YouTube during one quiet evening and listened to it all the way through. And let me just say:

I truly don't have words for what that first exposure to Hamilton was like for me on an emotional level. I laughed, I roared in triumph, I feverishly looked up the lyrics and emphatically rapped for the first time in my life--I sobbed utterly and brokenly as tragedy struck in Act II. I wiped my eyes dry and held my head up high as the final words of the production resonated in my mind--"Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?"

Well, after that, there was no question--I was unashamedly obsessed with Hamilton. To quote a line in the show: "I wish I could say that was the last time, I said that last time. It became a pastime." I began to listen to the soundtrack non-stop, quoting the musical constantly, and humming the tunes to myself even when I wasn't actively listening to them. Hamilton became a permanent part of the constant background din of my brain, throughout all hours of the day. Quotes from the lyrics came to define different ongoing parts of my life.

Specifically in that way, the songs of Hamilton became a rallying cry for me at the darkest parts of my senior year--the nights when I didn't have the energy to keep studying for exams or writing for looming deadlines. The image of the embattled first Treasury Secretary, "writing at night like he's running out of time,", sustained me and drove me to keep going, to keep writing.

The desperate, clawing spirit of the man who was "just like his country--young, scrappy, and hungry" and who would "not throw away his shot" inspired me to push past my exhaustion, anxiety, and my depression. I truly don't exaggerate when I say that Hamilton saved me in my senior year. My struggle to power through and make it to graduation would have been all the harder for me if I hadn't had Lin-Manual Miranda's music to serve as my anthem, fueling me through to the finish line. Of course, in spite of all my fears, I did in fact make it to graduation--so it only felt right to decorate my cap appropriately:

I'm forever indebted to Mr. Miranda for reviving the memory of the youngest Founding Father and forever cementing his legacy in our popular culture. I'm forever indebted to him for writing such incredible music and drama, which made its way to my ears just when I needed it most. For myself, I tell his story.

Now let me urge you to carry on in whatever way that you excel in life. Let me urge you to pursue your strengths with the fervor of the dreams of your youth. In a spirit of both admonishment and encouragement, let me quote Hamilton to you just one more time: "Remember from here on in, history has its eyes on you."

Godspeed, my friends and readers.