My name is Braelin Grant and I am very excited to start this new chapter of my life in college. I plan to study and major in dance and counseling so I can one day open a dance studio in the Middle East. This sounds like a very specific and far out plan but it stems from the unique experiences that I have been privileged to be a part of. Through mission trips to several Middle Eastern countries, I have been able to see that people, though differentiated by culture and language, are not as different as they seem. In Morocco, I was drawn to a woman holding a baby in the streets. After speaking with her, she invited me to her home and introduced me to her family. There we sang and danced together for hours. They taught me traditional Moroccan dances and I taught them dances that I learned back home. Through dancing, we exchanged life stories, and I realized that her family was very similar to mine. Although her mom was married, in many ways she had to provide for her family as if she was a single mother. Her husband was an alcoholic who would spend all of their money in a single sitting, leaving her to care for the kids with what was left. She had built up so much resentment and bitterness towards her husband and her situation that she broke down in tears as she spoke. She opened up to me, a stranger, as if I were her counselor, and through her tears, I realized that this might be the only consolation she would receive. It was a moment to express the pain and the toil that she had endured. I shared hope and faith with her that day, through a few hours of dancing and a simple yet vulnerable conversation. This experience captured me, and I realized I could use my passion for dance to help more people. One day, I hope to open a non-profit dance studio in the Middle East as a space for women and children who are struggling emotionally and financially to receive free consolation through therapy and dance. As I study dance in college, I don't want to learn simply for myself, but I hope to develop a unique knowledge and experience in dance that will allow me to one day teach it to others; providing them with a quality dance education that could lead them to a potential career. This way they can get emotional and financial freedom. I want to share the beauty of the people of the Middle East with others; their stories, and their struggles. I also believe we must normalize the culture of receiving help, not only in the Middle East but also in America where this idea is still stigmatized. I also hope to bring these conversations to the dance community in college to mobilize others to have this same heart for their communities.

Since I was a toddler, I desired to become a ballerina and begged my mom to enroll me in classes, but we never had enough money. After years of pleading, my mom picked up extra shifts so I could pursue my dream. Though it began as one class, I was thrilled to start! My excitement turned into fear and insecurity as I watched the girls in my class dance. Despite being the same middle school age, they had years of experience dancing, and I had none. Even though I was frustrated at my lack of skill, my mom's encouragement helped me push forward, and become just as good as my classmates within a year. I desired to learn different dance styles and take more classes. Since we didn’t have the money, my mother talked with my dance instructors who granted me a full scholarship to dance for seven hours a week. I had to figure out how to balance this hectic dance schedule with my heavy dual enrollment course load. With determination and a few schedule changes, I maintained straight A’s and a 4.0 GPA in all my classes. The constant encouragement, unrelenting love, and strong character that my mom provided, helped me grow into the woman I am today and gave me a vision for my future. I desire to open a non-profit dance studio in the Middle East. This studio will help women and children who struggle emotionally and financially to get free counseling through therapy and emotional release through dance. I want to create a culture where getting help is normalized in a place where it currently isn’t. I am certain that the wisdom and character that my mother instilled in me will help me lead families like mine into a better emotional and financial place.

My name is Braelin Grant and I am very excited to start this new chapter of my life in college. I have always loved helping my community and do so often! Within my high school years, I have had the opportunity to volunteer in several community building organizations. These organizations always aim to further education to support the next generation, build a loving/encouraging environment, and create global awareness of the situations of others. Some of these organizations include Tybee Island Marine Science Center (an environmental issues education hub), Revival City Church (an Athens GA local church), and InterCP International (a global missions organization). I plan to study and major in dance and counseling so I can one day open a dance studio in the Middle East. This sounds like a very specific and far out plan but it stems from the unique experiences that I have been privileged to be a part of. Through mission trips to several Middle Eastern countries, I have been able to see that people, though differentiated by culture and language, are not as different as they seem. In Morocco, I was drawn to a woman holding a baby in the streets. After speaking with her, she invited me to her home and introduced me to her family. There we sang and danced together for hours. They taught me traditional Moroccan dances and I taught them dances that I learned back home. Through dancing, we exchanged life stories, and I realized that her family was very similar to mine. Although her mom was married, in many ways she had to provide for her family as if she was a single mother. Her husband was an alcoholic who would spend all of their money in a single sitting, leaving her to care for the kids with what was left. She had built up so much resentment and bitterness towards her husband and her situation that she broke down in tears as she spoke. She opened up to me, a stranger, as if I were her counselor, and through her tears, I realized that this might be the only consolation she would receive. It was a moment to express the pain and the toil that she had endured. I shared hope and faith with her that day, through a few hours of dancing and a simple yet vulnerable conversation. This experience captured me, and I realized I could use my passion for dance to help more people. One day, I hope to open a non-profit dance studio in the Middle East as a space for women and children who are struggling emotionally and financially to receive free consolation through therapy and dance. As I study dance in college, I don't want to learn simply for myself, but I hope to develop a unique knowledge and experience in dance that will allow me to one day teach it to others; providing them with a quality dance education that could lead them to a potential career. This way they can get emotional and financial freedom. I want to share the beauty of the people of the Middle East with others; their stories, and their struggles. I also believe we must normalize the culture of receiving help, not only in the Middle East but also in America where this idea is still stigmatized. I also hope to bring these conversations to the dance community in college to mobilize others to have this same heart for their communities.

My name is Braelin Grant and I am very excited to start this new chapter of my life in college. I plan to study and major in dance and counseling so I can one day open a dance studio in the Middle East. This sounds like a very specific and far out plan but it stems from the unique experiences that I have been privileged to be a part of. Through mission trips to several Middle Eastern countries, I have been able to see that people, though differentiated by culture and language, are not as different as they seem. In Morocco, I was drawn to a woman holding a baby in the streets. After speaking with her, she invited me to her home and introduced me to her family. There we sang and danced together for hours. They taught me traditional Moroccan dances and I taught them dances that I learned back home. Through dancing, we exchanged life stories, and I realized that her family was very similar to mine. Although her mom was married, in many ways she had to provide for her family as if she was a single mother. Her husband was an alcoholic who would spend all of their money in a single sitting, leaving her to care for the kids with what was left. She had built up so much resentment and bitterness towards her husband and her situation that she broke down in tears as she spoke. She opened up to me, a stranger, as if I were her counselor, and through her tears, I realized that this might be the only consolation she would receive. It was a moment to express the pain and the toil that she had endured. I shared hope and faith with her that day, through a few hours of dancing and a simple yet vulnerable conversation. This experience captured me, and I realized I could use my passion for dance to help more people. One day, I hope to open a non-profit dance studio in the Middle East as a space for women and children who are struggling emotionally and financially to receive free consolation through therapy and dance. As I study dance in college, I don't want to learn simply for myself, but I hope to develop a unique knowledge and experience in dance that will allow me to one day teach it to others; providing them with a quality dance education that could lead them to a potential career. This way they can get emotional and financial freedom. I want to share the beauty of the people of the Middle East with others; their stories, and their struggles. I also believe we must normalize the culture of receiving help, not only in the Middle East but also in America where this idea is still stigmatized. I also hope to bring these conversations to the dance community in college to mobilize others to have this same heart for their communities.

Dance is a sport filled with discipline and structure but, has such a specific beauty and power in opening hearts despite language, social, and cultural barriers. Throughout my years of dancing, I have seen the joy that comes from familiar and unfamiliar faces when they see someone break through the social stigma of sharing something as personal as dance with them. When you open up, they open up, creating a shared environment of love, trust, and depth of understanding which leads to conversations that can bring life into people. I have seen this firsthand as I visited several countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa. These trips helped me see that people, though differentiated by culture and language, are not as different as they seem. In Morocco, I was drawn to talk to a young woman holding a baby in the streets. After speaking with her, she invited me to her house and introduced me to her family where we sang and danced together for hours. They taught me Moroccan dances and I taught them dances that I learned back home. From this opening, we exchanged life stories and found that their family was very similar to mine. Although her mom was married, in many ways she had to provide for her family as if she was a single parent. Her husband was an alcoholic who would spend all of their money in a single sitting, leaving her to care for the kids with what they had left. She built up so much resentment and bitterness towards him and her situation that she broke down in tears as she spoke. She opened up to a stranger like I was her counselor and through her tears, I realized that this might be the only consolation that she would have. It was a moment to express the pain and the toil that she had gone through. I shared hope and faith with her that day which would have never happened unless I took the time to listen and open up first. This experience captured me and motivated me to use my passion and experience in dance to help the lives of others. I want to open a non-profit dance studio in the Middle East that will allow women and children who struggle emotionally and financially to get free counseling through therapy and emotional release through dance. Throughout college, I want to build the skill set needed to know the logistics of how to make this dream become a reality and deepen my knowledge of dance so I can provide not only a means of emotional release but also quality dance education that could lead others into a career. This way they can get emotional and financial freedom. Since it is a non-profit, I long for its mission statement, and the recognition it would gain to bring awareness to the struggling women and children of the Middle East, drawing more people to serve them, and creating a culture where getting help is normalized.

As I grew up, my family and I experienced a lot of emotional abuse and manipulation from my dad which eventually led to my parents’ divorce. It took years for my mom to gain full custody of me and my four siblings, which led her to take responsibility for the well-being of a family of 6. She wrestled constantly with finance and familial support while learning to deal with the emotional toil that was left by my father. Yet, my mom stayed strong and resilient. Although she picked up several jobs to provide enough money for our growing family, she still managed to put smiles on our faces through her endless jokes and light-hearted demeanor. From her example of thriving through the trauma and aftermath, I learned to dream big and pursue endlessly. Since I was a toddler, I desired to become a ballerina and begged my mom to enroll me in classes, but we never had enough money. After years of pleading, my mom traded my after-school care for dance classes, and she picked up extra shifts to cover the wage difference. Even though it was only one class, I was excited to start! But soon after starting, my excitement turned into fear and insecurity as I watched the girls in my class dance. Despite being the same middle school age, they had years of experience dancing, and I had none. I realized I was far behind and worried that I wouldn’t be able to catch up. I wanted to quit and spare myself the embarrassment if I continued. Coming home, my kind, wise mother reminded me that I promised to do my best. She had already paid for the semester, and I had to attend class no matter how hard it was. Even though I was frustrated at my lack of skill, her encouragement helped me push forward, and became just as good as my classmates within a year. Because of this accomplishment, I desired to learn different dance styles and take more classes. Since we didn’t have the money, my mother talked with my dance instructors. They analyzed my progress and decided to give me a full scholarship to dance for seven hours a week in the studio’s company team. I auditioned and got into company but a new challenge arose. I had to figure out how to balance this hectic dance schedule with my heavy dual enrollment course load. With determination and a few schedule changes, I found enough time to complete every assignment I needed and practice the dances we were to perform for company. I maintained straight A’s and a 4.0 GPA in all my classes. The constant encouragement, unrelenting love, and strong character that my mom provided helped me grow into the woman I am today and gave me a vision for my future. I believe that my grades and several years of dance experience will allow me to get into a university that will equip me to open a non-profit dance studio in the Middle East. This studio will help women and children who struggle emotionally and financially, get free counseling through therapy and emotional release through dance. I want to create a culture where getting help is normalized and easy to access in a place where it currently isn’t. I am certain that the wisdom and character that my mother instilled in me will help me lead families like mine into a better emotional and financial place.

Dance has such a specific beauty and power in opening hearts despite language, social, and cultural barriers. I have seen the joy that comes from familiar and unfamiliar faces when they see someone break through the social stigma of sharing something as personal as dance with them. When you open up, they open up, and it creates a shared environment of love, trust, and depth of understanding which leads to conversations that can bring life into people. I have seen this firsthand as I visited several countries in the Middle East. These trips helped me see that people, though differentiated by culture and language, are not as different as they seem. In Morocco, I was drawn to talk to a young woman holding a baby in the streets. After speaking with her, she invited me to her house and introduced me to her family where we sang and danced together for hours. They taught me Moroccan dances and I taught them dances that I learned back home. From this opening, we exchanged life stories and found that their family was very similar to mine. Although her mom was married, in many ways she had to provide for her family as if she was a single parent. Her husband was an alcoholic who would spend all of their money in a single sitting and left her to care for the kids with what they had left. She built up so much resentment and bitterness towards him and her situation that she broke down in tears as she spoke. She opened up to a stranger like I was her counselor and through her tears, I realized that this might be the only consolation that she would have. It was a moment to express the pain and the toil that she had gone through. I shared hope and faith with her that day which would have never happened unless I took the time to listen and open up first. This experience captured me and moved me to use my passion for dance to do exactly this. I want to open a non-profit dance studio in the Middle East that will allow women and children who struggle emotionally and financially to get free consolation through therapy and emotional release through dance. Throughout college, I want to build the skill set needed to know the logistics of how to make this dream become a reality and deepen my knowledge of dance so I can provide not only a means of emotional release but also quality dance education that could lead others into a career. This way they can get emotional and financial freedom. Since it is a non-profit, I hope that its mission statement and the recognition that it would gain would bring awareness to the struggling women and children of the Middle East, bringing more people to serve them and creating a culture where getting help is normalized.

Dance has led to my involvement in mission work and gave me a vision for my future. In elementary school, I begged my mom to let me enroll in dance classes, but she would always say, “No.” Even though I wanted to start dancing young, I never had that privilege. My mom has been a single parent since I was one, and she raised five children on limited wages. As a young child, I never saw this harsh reality so I repeatedly pleaded for dance classes but didn’t realize we couldn’t afford them. My mom miraculously found a way to enroll me in a dance studio. She traded my after-school care for dance classes. Even though it was a one-hour weekly class, I was wildly excited to start! This excitement turned into fear and insecurity as I watched the girls in my class dance. I realized I was far behind. I felt like I’d never be able to catch up and I wanted to quit. My kind, wise mother reminded me I promised to do my best. She had already paid for the semester, and I had to attend class no matter how hard it was. Even though I was frustrated at my lack of skill, I pushed forward and became just as good as my classmates within a year, but I wanted more. I desired to learn different dance styles. Since we didn’t have the money, my mother talked with my dance instructors. They analyzed my progress and decided to give me a scholarship for a second class to prove myself. The year after, I received a full scholarship to dance for seven hours a week in the studio’s company team. I had to figure out how to balance this hectic dance schedule with my heavy dual enrollment course load. I maintained straight A’s by doing homework in between classes and while riding the public bus. Around this time, I had the opportunity to go on multiple mission trips to the Middle East. These trips helped me see that people, though differentiated by culture, are not as different as they seem. In Morocco, I was drawn in by a young woman holding a baby in the streets. After talking with her, she introduced me to her family. Their family story was so similar to mine. Although her mom was married, in many ways she had to provide for her family as if she was a single parent. She opened up to a stranger like I was her counselor and through her tears, I realized that this might be the only consolation that she would have. It was a moment to express the pain and the toil that she had gone through. I shared hope and faith with her that day which would have never happened unless I took the time to listen. This experience catapulted me to partner with a global organization to bring awareness to the beauty of the Middle Eastern people to all nations. Despite my age, I strive to be an example in conduct, love, and faith, which we can all do through the gifts God gave us. Throughout college, I want to build the skill set needed to open a dance studio in the Middle East to build women's confidence and identity through the art of dance, music, and counseling. This space will be a therapy center to empower women and children, promote self-worth, and build community while teaching them to dance. It will allow them to experience freedom, respect, and equality in a safe environment. My dream is to bring this vision to life.

Dance has led to my involvement in mission work and gave me a vision for my future. In elementary school, I begged my mom to let me enroll in dance classes, but she would always say, “No.” Even though I wanted to start dancing young, I never had that privilege. My mom has been a single parent since I was one, and she raised five children on limited wages. As a young child, I never saw this harsh reality so I repeatedly pleaded for dance classes but didn’t realize we couldn’t afford them. My mom miraculously found a way to enroll me in a dance studio. She traded my after-school care for dance classes. Even though it was a one-hour weekly class, I was wildly excited to start! This excitement turned into fear and insecurity as I watched the girls in my class dance. I realized I was far behind. I felt like I’d never be able to catch up and I wanted to quit. My kind, wise mother reminded me I promised to do my best. She had already paid for the semester, and I had to attend class no matter how hard it was. Even though I was frustrated at my lack of skill, I pushed forward and became just as good as my classmates within a year, but I wanted more. I desired to learn different dance styles. Since we didn’t have the money, my mother talked with my dance instructors. They analyzed my progress and decided to give me a scholarship for a second class to prove myself. The year after, I received a full scholarship to dance for seven hours a week in the studio’s company team. I had to figure out how to balance this hectic dance schedule with my heavy dual enrollment course load. I maintained straight A’s by doing homework in between classes and while riding the public bus. Around this time, I had the opportunity to go on multiple mission trips to the Middle East. These trips helped me see that people, though differentiated by culture, are not as different as they seem. In Morocco, I was drawn in by a young woman holding a baby in the streets. After talking with her, she introduced me to her family. Their family story was so similar to mine. Although her mom was married, in many ways she had to provide for her family as if she was a single parent. She opened up to a stranger like I was her counselor and through her tears, I realized that this might be the only consolation that she would have. It was a moment to express the pain and the toil that she had gone through. I shared hope and faith with her that day which would have never happened unless I took the time to listen. This experience catapulted me to partner with a global organization to bring awareness to the beauty of the Middle Eastern people to all nations. Despite my age, I strive to be an example in conduct, love, and faith, which we can all do through the gifts God gave us. Throughout college, I want to build the skill set needed to open a dance studio in the Middle East to build women's confidence and identity through the art of dance, music, and counseling. This space will be a therapy center to empower women and children, promote self-worth, and build community while teaching them to dance. It will allow them to experience freedom, respect, and equality in a safe environment. My dream is to bring this vision to life.