Nicole Llera

Permission to Bloom Nicole Llera

Michaela Rose is an over-achieving college student in her junior year, a time when she should be diving deep into the study of her true passions and enjoying the moment. However, her seemingly put-together life masks her very real private battle against mental illness. Locked within her own psychological prison, Michaela struggles to become what other people perceive her to already be, "normal." Even the simplest of tasks, driving, proves a terrifying and difficult ordeal. Her eccentricities cause her to abandon her dream internship with a prominent dentist, quit seeing her psychiatrist, and resolve to find her own way to wellness. In the process, she finds a confidant, mentor, and friend in an acting coach; a love interest in a long-time study partner; and most of all, her true self, fully compassionate and understanding of her own way of being. Patience, persistence, and passion lead Michaela to find a bright and hopeful future.