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Wheaton native had to make tough choice before auditioning on 'The Voice'

Being a contestant on this season of NBC's "The Voice" has been a surreal experience for 24-year-old Wheaton native Micah Tryba, but the most emotional moment so far took place before the cameras even started rolling.

Tryba said Wednesday that walking onto the empty show set for the first time, during a preshow rehearsal, moved her to tears - even more than when Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani spun their chairs around during her audition, indicating they wanted her on their teams.

"You look at this stage and this set, and it's gorgeous. You've seen it on TV. And then suddenly you're standing there, and these four chairs are in front of you," she said. "That's when it really hit me, and I got really emotional. Is this really happening?"

During her audition, which aired Monday night, Tryba chose Team Blake. She'll appear next on the singing competition show after the remaining auditions end March 14.

Tryba, the oldest of two daughters for salesman DJ Tryba and event planner Keri Tryba, is a Wheaton North alumna and singer, like her mom.

She planned to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign after high school, but the family ran into some financial hardships, so she first spent two years at the College of DuPage. Tryba said it ended up being a good thing for her and "allowed me to get my head on straight."

Tryba eventually earned a bachelor's degree in animal science from U of I, landing a spot in their competitive veterinary graduate program. A week before the program started, she was invited to be on "The Voice."

Torn between her two passions, singing and animals, Tryba faced a tough decision.

"It was a confusing time," she said. "I went to talk with the dean of the vet school, and he was extremely supportive. He said, 'Go off and do this, so you don't have any regrets, and we'll save you a spot for next year.' It was so nice."

Since the show aired, Tryba's received praise for her singing from people in Croatia, Canada and Central America.

"It's such a blessing to be able to say you've reached people across the world. It's something I would have never even dreamed of being able to do," she said. "I'm so thankful for all of it."

Cheering for her backstage, and seen on camera, were her mom, grandma and fellow members of her U of I a cappella group, No Comment, James Fletcher of Algonquin and Scott Stover of Maple Park.

The audition process wasn't easy. Going on one of the country's top TV shows comes with a lot of pressure and self-doubt, Tryba said. That's why after she sang "I'm Every Woman" for the judges, she broke down crying.

"When it all finished and those chairs were turned ... it was a very overwhelming and thankful moment. All of the work and all of the prayers and all of the emotional ride was worth it," Tryba said.

Does she think she's going to win?

"I don't want to say yes, I've got this in the bag ... but I'm definitely shooting for the stars here," she said. "I have just as good a shot as anyone else."

Wheaton native advances on 'The Voice'

Singer Micah Tryba, 24, who grew up in Wheaton, will compete on this season of NBC's "The Voice." Photo by Paul Drinkwater/NBC
Singer Micah Tryba, 24, who grew up in Wheaton, sings "I'm Every Woman" during her audition on NBC's "The Voice." She deferred a spot at the University of Illinois' selective veterinary graduate program to compete on the show. Photo by Tyler Golden/NBC
Country music star Blake Shelton chose Wheaton native Micah Tryba to be on his team for this season of NBC's "The Voice." Photo by Trae Patton/NBC
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