Like most kids who devoured James Herriot books, I dreamed of becoming a large-animal veterinarian. I envisioned an adult life whereby I'd heroically heal a few cases of horse laminitis by day, then report to my night gig: singing on Broadway.

As a middle-schooler I realized that math and sciences just weren't my bag (to put it very mildly). Plus another, more painful realization: I possessed neither the voice nor chutzpah to try out for the school play, let alone Broadway.

By tenth grade, I...