Another activity I have been involved in since I was very young is dance. I started dancing at my local dance studio in 2010 at age 6. I took one class that was half ballet and half tap, and performed in a routine to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at the end of the year. That first year was just the beginning of a very long and complicated love of dance that taught me many things about myself and others.

In my 13 years of dance education, I tried almost every style possible. I’ve always been a person who loves trying new things and getting different perspectives, so there was always a class that I told my mom I had to try. This ranged from ballet to musical theater, to acrobatics, to jazz, to tap, and more. I enjoyed many different things about each style but grew to find my favorites in contemporary and lyrical. I highly value the experiences I had in each, even though I was not necessarily good at them all. Trying something new and not being good at it is a tough lesson to learn for the Type A, perfectionist that I am. Having to work at something and invest time has taught me the value of putting yourself out there, even if you never reach the level of success you hoped for. I try to apply this to all aspects of my life, to guide me in a way that is forgiving and understanding.

When I was younger, I found an extreme disconnect between myself and some of the other kids. While I had been dancing for many years at the same studio, I still played two sports and shared my time between dance, field hockey, and lacrosse. Most other girls had dance as the major time commitment and took many more classes together than I did. I felt as if I didn’t belong, and that everyone was already friends so there was no room for me. As I grew older and got to know more girls, I became more confident in myself. Though I may not have been on the competition team for the years that they had, what we shared was a love for dance. I became more and more familiar with the group of girls around my age during my years in high school and felt that I had belonged all along. The girls from my dance studio are some of the kindest, most talented, and fun people I have met. I am grateful that I was able to become confident in myself to overcome insecurity and uncertainty to find my friends and reignite my love for dance. Senior year was my absolute favorite year, as I finally felt sure of myself and excited to go to class each day.

The lessons that I have learned through dance have not be easy or comfortable, they involved years of learning to forgive myself and not expecting perfection. These years were filled with allowing myself to simply do what I enjoy and find a group of people I feel comfortable with. I carry these lesson with my as I approach all things in life, with forgiveness and acceptance.