Get To Know Haley Geiger, Distinguished Young Woman of West Virginia

Name: Haley Geiger

Age: 18

Hometown: Ridgeley, WV

College: West Virginia University

Major: General Business, Minor in Theatre

Favorite food

Any and every type of pasta!

Favorite TV show

tied between Friends and The Office

Favorite movie

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Current #1 most played song on your iPod

Confident – Demi Lovato (I just can’t get away from the fitness routine!)

Favorite quote

“It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Plan ahead OR procrastinate: Procrastinate, definitely

Paper OR plastic: Plastic

Glass half-full OR glass half-empty: The glass is always half-full!

Introvert OR extrovert: A mix of both, but I’m more of an introvert

Cats OR Dogs: Cats!

Morning person OR night person: Both!

What is your most embarrassing moment?

Back in 2015 when I was the title role in Cinderella, there was a scene where, after a certain point, I would begin to run offstage and the Prince would yell “Stop!” before I could. I had messed up slightly earlier in the scene, so I was preoccupied thinking of that, so when he said “Stop!” and I had forgotten to run, I immediately began to run off and he had to say it again. It was totally obvious and in front of a live audience, and as a bonus my mom got it on video that night, so I can never forget it even if I really wanted to.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?

Sierra Boggess! She’s my Broadway idol and the actress who inspired me to work on my voice and sing the way I can today, and I would give anything to be able to see what it’s like to be as talented and well-known as she is!

What is your biggest fear?

It’s a solid tie between failure and spiders.

What is one goal you have set for yourself and achieved? What is one goal that still remains to be achieved?

One goal I set for myself at the beginning of this year was to win DYW states and make it to nationals, and one I’m still trying to accomplish is to make it to my fortieth show!

Sum yourself up in three words.

Determined, Passionate, and Excitable

Describe your single-most favorite moment from your Distinguished Young Women experience.

On the first night of preliminaries, I was competing in talent and singing “Music of the Night” from The Phantom Of The Opera. Being on that stage and singing in front of all those people was incredible, it was so much to take in! To add to the experience, one of my judges was Rebecca Luker, a four-time Tony Nominee who made her Broadway debut as Christine Daae in Phantom. As someone who has spent her whole life dreaming of being on Broadway, specifically as Christine Daae, having her there was unreal! But I specifically remember I was in the middle of singing and I glanced at the judges’ table without even thinking and saw her smiling at me, and just that simple gesture meant the world to me and made my heart soar. I may never make it to Broadway, but because of that moment, I know exactly what achieving my wildest dream would feel like.