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Emma Bullerman
As an 18-year-old who has been given a column space to write about anything I’d like, it would suffice to say that I’m a little nervous. So, I decided an introduction to who I am would be a great way to start.
I’m Emma Bullerman and I’m known around the community as two things: the girl who was in the musical that one time and/or the girl who takes pictures on the sidelines at Aurora’s football games. While it’s a little more complicated than that, I’d say that is a pretty apt description of who I am.
As a senior, I’m involved in choir, show choir, one-act, speech, musical and journalism at Aurora High School. Currently, my speech events are poetry (abbreviated as POE) and program of oral interpretation (abbreviated as POI and pronounced like “soy” with a P). I recently competed at the Adam’s Central speech tournament and was awarded second place in poetry.
Also, rumor on the street is that I will be playing Ariel in Aurora’s upcoming musical, The Little Mermaid! It’s incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to play a Disney princess and I cannot wait for another busy season of musical prep.
Next fall I plan on attending UNL with a major in journalism and a minor in music. Upon getting to know me, one of the first things that many people find out is that I can be incredibly indecisive, so getting to the point where I was confident with my college and major was a painful journey (sorry Mom and Dad). I made it my goal to land on something before second semester because I knew if I waited, I would enter my “analysis paralysis” state.
So, by making my decision early, it gave me time to regret it, mourn my lost path of becoming Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway, request a major change, realize I actually made the right choice and request to change my major back. This also leaves room for the cycle to repeat itself multiple times if needed.
My parents are Michelle and Mike Bullerman of Aurora. Mike is a restoration ecologist and geographic information system (GIS) mapping specialist for Prairie Plains. He finds work saving the prairies and sowing seed (think “Golden Sower” on the capitol). Michelle is the clinical manager at AseraCare Hospice in Grand Island. She uses her background in nursing to guide the young medical professionals of the world.
As she puts it, “as a hospice nurse, I’m a stewardess on the plane ride to Heaven.”
I have three siblings as well. Two older brothers; Nolan, who works for Aurora’s Fire and Rescue Department, and Cy, who is currently studying education at Peru State. Both Nolan and Cy enjoy taking credit for my accomplishments and talent as a young student-performer, therefore, I am forever indebted to them.
To complete the family is my little sister, Ava. She is 11 years old and is one of the most energetic, feisty kids you’ll ever meet. She’s a unit on the basketball court and the dance floor. She also enjoys educating others on the latest makeup trends on her Youtube channel. My siblings and I are all very different, but they are some of the best people out there.
Another incredibly important person in my life is my boyfriend, Jack Allen. We’ve been dating for three years now and even got to be homecoming king and queen together. I’m still not quite sure how he puts up with all my nonsense, but I’d say we make a pretty good pair. I like to compare us to Troy and Gabriella from the hit trilogy, High School Musical, if Troy was torn between playing his baritone and playing football and Gabriella had an extensive knowledge of musical theater instead of science and math.
Some of my other interests include astrology (my big three are all Libra), guitar (it’s been far too long since the last time I’ve played, but I promise I can) and singing classical music. My voice teacher, Katherine Lerner Lee of New York is my vocal partner-in-crime. She studied at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and opened my mind to singing classical pieces -- it’s now my favorite genre to sing.
This semester, I come to you as the newest (bestest, brightest) intern at the Aurora News-Register. To concisely describe my role here, I will be writing stories, shadowing the staff and be bothering news editor Cheyenne Rowe a lot. I took up an interest in journalism during my sophomore year. It was my first time being on the yearbook staff at the school and, as cliche as it is, I fell in love with it. Through yearbook, I was able to further my writing and photography skills and spark a relationship with Cheyenne at the News-Register. After four long years, she finally has me working in the newsroom with her. Trust me, she’s been planning it.
EMMA BULLERMAN is a senior at Aurora High School and is a guest columnist. emma.bullerman@gmail.com.
