Junior Emely Felix was selected to recite her poem on former first lady Abigail Adams in front of 2,600 students on Oct. 12 at the Pantages Theatre. Students were then treated to a free performance of “Hamilton: An American Musical.”

Q: How did it feel to perform?

A: “I was nervous at first but after a while it was empowering and I love the feeling, just going on stage.”

Q: Why did you choose to write about Abigail Adams?

A: “Since a lot of people don’t know about her, I wanted to have an opportunity for people to know who Abigail Adams was and what she’s done.”

Q: How did Get Lit help you prepare?

A: “It helped me know how to perform and how I want to deliver the poem. Since Get Lit gave me the experience of performing in front of large crowds, it helped me a lot with that.”

Q: How did you rehearse your poem?

A: “I practice in my room, over and over again, for probably an hour or two. Sometimes I record myself to look back on and see what’s good and what’s bad.”

Q: What is your favorite part about performing?

A: “I love the crowd and how the school was cheering for me. That was an amazing feeling. I also enjoyed watching the student performers and their acts.”

Q: What was the most interesting or inspiring detail you learned about Abigail Adams while writing your poem?

A: “When I learned that she was one of the first women to speak out about women’s equal rights and that she advocated for women’s equal rights. Also that she was against slavery, because in that time, slavery was a thing and everyone believed it was all right, but it was Abigail Adams who didn’t.”

Q: What do you hope the audience felt while listening to your poem?

A: “I hope they felt admiration toward Abigail Adams and appreciate her for what she’s done. I heard that people did got a lot from my poem and they know who Abigail Adams is after my poem, so that’s an awesome thing. I’m glad that people got to know who she is.”