Last Tuesday I was fortunate enough to experience a taping of the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” for her 13th season in Burbank, California. This experience was without a doubt the best adventure of my life, and to be able to share it with my sister was incredible. There was an intense series of emotions that ran through me as we began our trip to California that eventually became the most memorable time of my life.

Since freshman year, I have scheduled my life around, DVR’d, and watched on her website if I happened to miss that day’s show: the beautiful and fantastic Ellen DeGeneres. I would watch her show and laugh more in that one hour than I had in months, danced all over my living room floor with her every chance I got and still do. As we all know, high school comes with its pressures and drama; but Ellen was my escape from that. I struggled at the beginning of high school, but for one hour every day, Ellen made me feel extraordinary. Sometimes her show was my only motivation to get up in the morning. She made me laugh, she made me smile, and she gave me hope for a better tomorrow. She helped me change my perspective on my life and taught me that people are going through far worse things than my small problems. And just maybe instead of sleeping away my anxiety, I could be making a difference in the world just like she does every day. Ever since freshman year, I decided that no matter what happened before I die, I would meet Ellen DeGeneres.

I have been entering contests to be an audience member of the show since the beginning of high school. Usually, the wait to see one of her shows is approximately three years long, and rightfully so. However, in one of my hopeless attempts to win tickets, I succeeded. I bought three pairs of Ellen Socks and a shirt from her line, ED by Ellen, which entered me in a contest. Her clothes are stylish, wicked comfy, classy, and made of quality material. To me, this seemed just like another day of online shopping and another hopeless attempt at my dream. Then the impossible happened, I won two tickets to a taping of the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Me. One of her biggest fans in the whole world.

When me and my sister arrived at Warner Brothers Studios Gate 3 in Burbank, California on February 2, 2016, we could hardly contain our excitement and pre-show jitters. I was about to fulfill my all-time dream, being a part of the studio audience for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show!”

My winning tickets for the February 2 taping offered us VIP treatment. Insanity, I know. When we arrived in the Audience Waiting Area, an Audience Coordinator directed us to the correct VIP queue. After we showed our photo identification and authorization to another Audience Coordinator, she pleasantly handed me a fancy laminated Ellen “ticket” and pointed us to a small group of people waiting to be checked in by a Warner Brothers security officer. After what seemed to be the longest wait of my life, the audience executive checked my identification again and then marked the inside of my wrist with an invisible Warner Brothers stamp under blue light.

Shortly after, me and my sister lined up and were led across the street to Warner Brothers Studios. When we reached the Ellen soundstage, we funneled through a metal detector, had our bags searched, and sat in an air-conditioned hallway on long benches. When the doors at the end of the hall opened, we entered the legendary Riff-Raff Room where people shopped, took photos, and anxiously prepared for the time of their lives. I walked into the room and joined a queue at the bottom of a staircase that led into the Ellen studio. Amazed, I took to the studio. It looked much smaller than it does on TV, but that didn’t matter at all.

When I reached the top of the stairs, an audience manager asked how many people were in our group and directed us on where to sit. As if our day couldn’t get more incredible, my sister and I were moved to the front row aisle. We were where all the cameras were and would be less than 50 feet from my role model. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable, like those at a fancy movie theater, complete with cup holders. Tom Riles, Ellen’s audience hype man, walked out and went over the ground rules: no gum, cell phones must be off, no pictures, and no yelling things out during the taping. He told us that the episode that we were about to see would air on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016.

And then we heard the Ellen theme song. We were signaled to get on our feet and cheer, but it seems everyone would have done that anyway. I was thrilled. Ellen walked out and looked radiant. Did I cry? Yes, and with no shame.

Ellen dove right into her monologue, which I spent the entire time crying, mixed with laughter. And then we danced. This moment had the most incredible positive energy of anything I’ve ever experienced. You can see how happy everyone is just to let go and be free. Strangers are dancing and hugging, everyone is laughing, and it’s extraordinary. I was happy to be finally in Ellen’s audience, dancing “with” her. She passed right by me as we danced. More tears. The dancing time flew by, and Ellen dropped into her chair. Three giant cameras taped Ellen from various angles. There was also a woman with a handheld camera, who was with a man responsible for that camera’s cable, and there was a camera on a crane that flew over our heads from time to time, typically before or after the commercial breaks. There were screens all over the studio that displayed what was going on, which was helpful because the cameras sometimes partly obstructed our view.

In my life, I’ve had several celebrity sightings, whether it be on the streets, at plays, or wherever, but I had never been so star struck in my entire life. Mario Lopez, freaking Judge Judy, and the effortlessly perfect Sia. Ellen’s conversation with Judge Judy felt very relaxed, like they were just two friends chatting without a studio audience and a cluster of TV cameras watching. Next, we were treated to a live performance by Sia, who sang “Bird Set Free” from her new CD “This is Acting.”  Ellen added that the whole audience would receive a copy.

Between segments, there were “commercial breaks” where staff members, several of them wearing telephone-operator-style headphones, came onto the platform and talked briefly with Ellen, made small adjustments to her hair and makeup, or moved items on or off stage. During these breaks, there was music, thanks to DJ Twitch. Tom, the hype guy, asked audience member volunteers to come into the aisles to show off their dance moves. The time seemed to fly by.

After about an hour, Ellen says, ‘’Be Kind to One Another.’’ The last words. She reminds us to go out into the world and love people for who they truly are. Then, the show was done. Once Ellen said bye to the TV audience, she walked out from behind the cameras and spoke straight to us, thanking us for coming. Finally, we were led out of the studio and back into the Riff-Raff Room. There was time to shop at the Ellen Shop and collect Sia’s CD; This is Acting. And then the post-show depression commenced. I couldn’t even fathom what had just happened.

I don’t know where to begin, but to say “Thank you, Ellen.” She brings out the definition of what everyday people should be: happy, funny, and living life to its fullest. It was always a dream of mine to meet her or someday be a part of her show, but let’s face it: I’m not musically or artistically gifted, a crazy athlete or someone with an amazing life story. But I was still able to go. So thank you, Ellen. I have never experienced something that brought me as much joy as going to your show. To be honest, I’m still not over it and I probably never will be.