When Mira Cahalane first discovered the Broadway smash musical, "Hamilton" when she was in third grade, she couldn't have imagined that one day the show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, would be watching her perform his work—let alone sending her personal congratulations.

But that's exactly what happened at this year's Jimmy Awards in New York City, where the Hudson High School senior's Broadway dreams took a significant step forward.

Cahalane, who recently won Outstanding Performance in an Ensemble at the prestigious Jimmy Awards, traces her theatrical journey back to her young childhood.

"I first started doing theater when I was in second grade," she recalls. "My mom signed me up for a theater camp." 

But it wasn't until middle school that she found her true calling. "In sixth grade, I did my first musical. We did Frozen Junior—that's when I knew that [acting is] what I wanted to do for the rest of forever," Cahalane says.

This past school year, Cahalane portrayed Hermes in Hudson High School's production of "Hadestown," a role that earned her the Best Actress award at this year’s Playhouse Square’s Dazzle Awards.

The win carried special meaning for Cahalane. “I've been following the Dazzles for a handful of years now and just knowing that I get to be the person that kids would look up to when I was their age... now I get to be them,” she says, “That's so cool."

The Dazzle Award led to a trip to New York City for the Jimmy Awards, a 10-day intensive experience that culminated in a performance at the Minskoff Theater, home of "The Lion King." While in New York, Cahalane and 109 other nominees from across the country rehearsed at Juilliard and received industry mentorship .

"Most of our time is spent rehearsing at Juilliard, which is really, really fun," she says. "110 kids from across the country get to make their Broadway debuts."

A highlight of her New York experience was an unexpected encounter with Lillias White, who played Hermes on Broadway. "We were doing a tour of the Lincoln Center, and before we left, it just so happened that Ms. Lillias White was walking out of the theater,” recalls Cahalane. “We were freaking out, and we ran outside and met her."

But perhaps the most surreal moment came during Cahalane’s performance of "96,000" from "In the Heights," with Lin-Manuel Miranda himself watching from offstage. The performance left such an impression that Miranda later started following Cahalane on Instagram and sent her a message: "You smashed it. Great job on Monday. Your future is bright."

For Cahalane, the recognition from her theatrical idol held special significance. "I really do owe a lot of what I do and my passion to finding ‘Hamilton,’" she says. "The fact that the guy that created it told me that my future is bright—that's so crazy to me."

In addition to winning an award and performing at the Jimmy Awards, Cahalane says the relationships she formed in those 10 days in New York are priceless.

"The Jimmy Awards is nothing if not the people that you meet," she says. "The other nominees are some of my best friends and I miss them so much. To be in a building with everyone who cares so much about the same thing that you care about."

Cahalane says she made lifelong friendships during the New York trip. “I really do think of it as the final boss of theater camp,” she says. “You're just with all of your friends singing songs and doing the things you love. To me, it was very important to take advantage of that.”

She says each night of the trip was like performing in another musical. “Before it was lights out time, I would find a bunch of people, head into a practice room, and just sing songs to my heart's content. And it was so much fun.”

Now back home in Cleveland, Cahalane says she is already missing New York. "The past few days I've just been so depressed because I'm not there right now, and I want to go back so bad," she says.

With her senior year ahead and Broadway aspirations stronger than ever, Cahalane knows she is just beginning her Broadway journey. "That's the dream," she says.