Molly Kershaw, secretary of the Illinois Senate's office, fulfilled a lifelong dream by qualifying for a spot on "Wheel of Fortune." Molly, who walked away with $17,100 and a weeklong trip to Cancun with her husband, Adam, shared her experience of being on the show, which aired in March, with NCSL.

I’ve loved watching "Wheel of Fortune" for as long as I can remember. 

I first visited the Wheelmobile in May of 2007. I couldn’t believe it when I got an email in June 2015 asking me to audition for the show. To be honest, I thought it was a joke, but I decided joke or not I was going to go try out.

I was lucky enough to have a co-worker who had gone through the audition process and be on the show, so I had a leg up on what to expect. 

The audition was fun and light-hearted, but the written test is no joke. I was excited to walk away with a T-shirt, because that’s all I thought I would end up with. Needless to say, when I opened up the mail and saw the big "Wheel of Fortune" logo in my mailbox saying I had been selected, I was over the moon!

Fast forward several months and I am in Culver City, Calif., filming "Wheel of Fortune." This still seems unreal as I type this now. 

The entire experience was amazing and was perfect from start to finish, including the weather. The staff that works for "Wheel" are beyond magnificent. They work their tails off and have a blast doing it. They made us all feel right at home, and had us ready to play America’s game.

Spinning the wheel is tough. I never knew there were so many do’s and don’ts to properly spinning that mammoth monster. The worst part for me was getting my hair caught in the sticky lip gloss that the make-up team had applied as I leaned over to spin the wheel! 

While viewers are at home on the couch relaxing with a bowl of ice cream, the players are looking at so many different screens to make sure they aren’t calling a letter that has already been called, making sure they have money to buy a vowel, remember what the category is, and making sure that you are smiling, having fun, and trying to solve the puzzle. Oh my goodness, it’s an overwhelming wonderful experience. My goal was to just solve one puzzle and have an unforgettable time. Mission accomplished!

I’d highly recommend for anyone who loves watching the show to take a chance and send in an audition video.

It truly is people from all over the country just like you and me that audition. You may just surprise yourself!