Editor's note: Thursday Williams, a member of the cast of the Tony-nominated Broadway play “What the Constitution Means to Me,” wrote this essay about how the legal education nonprofit Legal Outreach shaped her life. On June 24, Heidi Schreck, the star of the show, and Williams will host a Legal Outreach event, “Diversity, Inclusion and the Constitution,” at the offices of Reed Smith in New York City.

I believe everyone has a purpose in life and can make a difference. But as a young immigrant woman from Jamaica, I struggled to find my purpose. I knew I had a voice but I didn't know how to use it. I was lost.

I used to get into so much trouble in school. Most people around me did not have expectations for me. But Legal Outreach did. The program gave me the tools I needed to find my purpose. It educated me about events happening in our society and taught me how to take a stand.

Legal Outreach gave me my wings.

I started at Legal Outreach the summer before my freshman year of high school by attending a rigorous five-week criminal law and procedure course. It was my first exposure to public speaking. When I got accepted to the four-year college-bound program, I was challenged even more. I was told I had to attend after school because my average was below 90. I was upset. I thought it was impossible to rise to the program's standards.

But I went to Legal Outreach every day and took advantage of the quiet space and free tutoring. I pushed myself, and eventually met those standards and exceeded expectations. Over time, I understood the program set standards for me because it saw something I couldn't. Legal Outreach taught me the importance of grit, which resulted in me maintaining a 90 and higher GPA, even while I am appearing in the Broadway show, What the Constitution Means to Me.

Legal Outreach gave me my first exposure to debating, which I do a lot of in the play. My debating skills were put to the test my sophomore and junior years. I felt pretty good going into my first debate at New York University Law School. I told myself I was a good speaker and had won mock trials so it shouldn't be that hard. It was. I underestimated my peers. I left the debate drenched in tears. I was so discouraged. I don't like losing. I felt all my hard work was in vain. I lost the last two debates that year.

I vowed in my junior year to work harder. I met more often with my law student coach and my mentor, who is a partner in a law firm. I got more prepared. But I lost my first two debates and was devastated. I knew I was getting better but I still lacked something. For my last debate, I went to my Legal Outreach debate advisers and made a deal. I told them that in the weeks leading up to my debate I would attend office hours at least once a week. It worked. I won my third debate and qualified for the grade-level championship. This experience shaped not only who I am as a debater but as a student. It is what allows me to go on stage every night and be the determined, well-informed debater I have been trained to be.

Legal Outreach has exposed me to issues like the educational and achievement gap, gerrymandering and gentrification. It introduced me to lawyers and other professionals who have helped shape my thinking and encouraged me to get out and get involved. My mentor is a great example and role model. She has always encouraged me, believes in me and is honest with me.

When I started with Legal Outreach, I thought I wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer. I had friends who were caught in the system, and I wanted to defend people accused of crimes. But after working on the show, I have decided to run for Congress. I want to address issues on a policy level and set the framework for things to get done.

I learned about the Broadway role through a theater teacher I got to know when I was president of my public high school. She got an email about auditions and said “I have the perfect girl for the part.” It turns out I was the perfect girl!

In the show, I play the role of a champion debater who joins Heidi Schreck to debate whether to keep or abolish the U.S. Constitution. With the public speaking skills I have acquired, it's much easier for me to walk on stage and take command of the theater.

With support from Legal Outreach and the public platform I've been given through my role in the play, I've been able to bring awareness to issues I am passionate about. For my 18th birthday, my theater family, at my request, held a voter registration drive in front of the Helen Hayes Theater. My goal was to attract 18-to-24-year olds and minorities, two groups who typically have the lowest rates of voter turnout.

I feel so special being asked to join Heidi as MC on June 24 at the Legal Outreach event on diversity, inclusion and the Constitution. It's so much fun to be on stage with Heidi and I'm excited to have the chance to give back to my program. In fact, I just helped my mentee get into the program. I love Legal Outreach. Honestly, I wish it was in every borough of New York and every state in the country.

For the June 24 event, I am going to wear my “power shoes,” my red-soled Christian Louboutin heels. I know for some people they symbolize “expensive.” But for me, those shoes are my right of passage. They symbolize my confidence and hard work.

Thursday Williams is a senior at William Cullen Bryant High School in Queens, a student at Legal Outreach and a member of the cast of “What the Constitution Means to Me.” She will attend Trinity College in the fall.