I am in the Commercial Dance, BFA program at PACE University in New York City.

Dancing has been an important part of my life since 2007. My parents enrolled me in my first dance class when I was two years old, never thinking it would become serious. Since then, I've always been surrounded by ballerinas leaping in every corner, tappers shuffling their feet to form a synchronous rhythm, and the smooth feeling of the marly floors.

I realized I was sharing the same love and passion for this art form with everyone around me. We didn’t need to talk to express how we felt. We could dance together and there was always this positive energy in the air. The dance studio has become my safe space where I get to express myself through movement, while learning and growing each day. Over the years, dance has allowed me to pour my emotions out every time I step onstage, and it has led me to be the person I am today.

Dance is about self-expression, and it has been an outlet for me to express myself and escape the reality of teenage growing pains. I've learned to overcome my fears, deal with rejection, and dance for myself and not for the external validation of teachers. Dance came into my life for a reason, and I know that no matter what path I take, I will always be a dancer.

Now, onward and upward.