Finding her voice

MILAN — When the audience yells "Encore! Encore!" Kaira Gulett always obliges. "I've just fallen in love with doing plays and always want to do them," said Gulett, who appeared in eight productions at her now-alma mater, Edison High School. "I like playing different characters, figuring out who they are and developing them as I go," said Gulett, a 2025 graduate. "It's an adrenaline rush every time you go out there. It feels scary, but it's worth it." Most recently, she played the title role in "Cinderella," which received resounding reviews. Beyond finding the glass slipper, Gulett located something even greater, boosting her self-worth. "I've gained so much confidence in myself," Gulett said. "In 'Cinderella,' just like the character, I learned a lot about courage and kindness and giving other people second chances." Though, not too long ago, the profound singer and poignant actress faced a medical condition that jeopardized not only her on-stage abilities but, quite possibly, her life as well. Diagnosing the condition During her sophomore year, Gulett first experienced something wrong with her vocal cords. It took parts of her junior and senior years to truly learn what was impeding her ability to breathe and speak. Eventually, doctors diagnosed her with vocal cord dysfunction. In a nutshell, it's a medical condition in which the vocal cords close when they should open — normally amid inhaling — thus causing breathing difficulties. For someone like Gulett, this condition greatly affects her voice and stamina. "It just hurt when I would sing or dance or do rigorous activities, and I wasn't sure what was going on," Gulett said. "At first, (doctors and medical professionals) thought I had asthma or a heart problem." Throughout a two-plus-year process, spilling over into her senior year, she underwent multiple tests and visited many specialists before finally learning about her proper diagnosis. A speech therapist ended up diagnosing her with vocal cord dysfunction. In the immediate aftermath, Gulett — who originally feared she might need to give up acting — needed to relearn how to breathe. "I literally have to sit down, and I have to focus on how to breathe," said Gulett, underscoring how she'll likely deal with this condition throughout her life. "My body always thinks I'm in fight-or-flight mode instead of relaxing. It gets bad when I do exercise." While Gulett sacrificed other extracurriculars, such as running on Edison's cross country and track teams, she just couldn't give up her one true passion in life: acting. In fact, she even risked her life and truly lived by the motto, "The show must go on" in 2022. "On the day I got diagnosed, we opened 'Annie' at our school, and I couldn't let my friends down. Plus there were no backups," said Gulett, who, to this day, goes through a certain breathing regimen every time she takes on a strenuous activity. "I was still able to perform. I couldn't dance but did everything else." Just like "Cinderella," Gulett found inspiration with the lead role in "Annie." "Annie's character would have just pushed through," Gulett said. "She was a resilient character, and that's who I aspire to be: someone who can overcome things. Everything I do, I put 110% into it." It's at this point that Gulett knew she wanted to pursue acting beyond simply as an after-school activity. "When you realize you might never be able to do something you love ever again, that's scary, and I realized how much I love acting and doing musical theater," Gulett said. "Being on that stage helps me so much in life: with my mental health, reaching and going beyond my limits, going the extra mile. Truly, that's where I'm at my best." Gulett freely talks about vocal cord dysfunction with her friends, family members and even strangers. She wants to raise awareness for a condition few know about, passing out flyers to explain the condition. "The more you know about something, the less scary it is," Gulett said. She also offered advice for anyone going through a similar medical situation. "Just listen to your gut and speak up," she said. "I had a gut feeling something was always wrong with my vocal cords, but I didn't speak up, even when I knew some of my first doctors were not diagnosing me correctly. You always have to use your voice." New beginnings Later this summer, Gulett will embark upon a new journey. She's enrolled at Marietta College, southeast of Columbus, to pursue a fine arts/musical theater degree. "One day, I would like to be on Broadway," said Gulett, who earned five scholarships to help offset her tuition. "My dream role is to play Elle Woods in 'Legally Blonde,'" Gulett said. "She loves pink, and I love pink. But she is also a very strong, resilient character, and she overcomes everything that is thrown at her. She doesn't just let her beauty define her. She knows she can be pretty and smart, and I love that about her." Among those who plan on scoring tickets, one day, to a Broadway show featuring Gulett would be Jeremy Newton. He's one of Gulett's favorite high school teachers at Edison. "Kaira was the type of student who tried extremely hard with every single task that was given to her," Newton said. He saw her perform on the stage many times, astonished at her abilities at such a young age. But her backstage demeanor is what impressed Newton even more. "What matters most to me for knowing what kind of student — but, most importantly, a person — someone may be is her ability to recognize a struggle and reach out to help," Newton said. "She frequently saw students struggling. In my high school chemistry class, she would walk over to them to see if there was any way she may be able to help them." Newton knows Gulett seems destined for success in life. He pointed to her stunning academic record: several honor rolls, pretty much an A-plus student, while juggling other responsibilities, like being involved in multiple student organizations at Edison. This would include those giving back to the community. "Her passion and drive to help not just herself succeed but others is why I believe she will be able to have a wonderful adult life in whatever path she takes," Newton said. Another person always supporting Gulett would be her mother, Dawn Braden. "I'm so proud that she has been able to hold herself to a high standard while overcoming all of these difficult health issues that led to, thankfully, not a severe issue in the end," said Braden, noting she's most appreciative of seeing her daughter work with younger children to spark an interest in theater. Gulett believes these challenges already in life make her a better, stronger person. "You never really know what you have until you lose it, and that day when my mom told me that I might not be able to perform again was very scary," Gulett said. "I always want to act, and that passion is going to stay with me forever."