My parents took me to an audition for The Ailey School when I was seven years old. At the time I did not understand who Alvin Ailey was, but I knew there was some significance about The Ailey School. When I walked into the lobby of the Joan Weill Center for Dance on that sunny Saturday morning, I was awestruck and mesmerized by the floor to ceiling mural of Alvin Ailey and the posters of Alvin Ailey Company Dancers hanging on the walls. I was nervous but my audition was excellent and they offered me a coveted spot in the Junior Division. This was the start of my love and passion for dance. I trained at the Ailey school for the last eleven years. My fellow dancers were like family and the studio was my home away from home. I spent six days a week in the studio to train in ballet, pointe, modern; Horton, Limon, Graham and jazz. Dance became a labor of love that I couldn’t live without. As a student at The Ailey School I met the Ailey Company Dancers at “Legacy Day” and attended many of their performances at the New York City Center. The first time I watched them perform Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations I was captivated from their opening performance, “I Been Buked” to the finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.” That was the pivotal moment when I knew I wanted to become a dancer. The audience was cheering, singing along and dancing in their seats. They felt the energy from the dancers on stage as much as I did. Like the Ailey dancers, I want to make my audience sense whatever I am intended to portray and make them feel as if they are on stage with me. I’ve learned by watching the Ailey dancers that dance transcends barriers of faith and nationality because people from all walks of life come to see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. My training at The Ailey School allowed me to grow and develop as an artist under the tutor ledge of some amazing teachers. To learn from some of the best, hoping that I can be just as great as they were was worth every minute, hour and day in the studio. Now I have the discipline and confidence to continue my dance training at Towson University which ranks amongst the top 25 Dance programs in the country. At Towson I will have performance and choreography opportunities as part of the TU Dance Company, dance repertory classes, senior projects, end of semester concerts, outreach programs and special invitations, multiple opportunities to study abroad to learn about another culture through dance and language and an amazing faculty. I plan to use my degree, training and experience to become a professional dancer and to open a performing arts center. A post-secondary education in dance will prepare me for the rigors of a career in dance that will allow me to make an impact in my dance community by opening a performing arts center to continue the legacy of Alvin Ailey. The Ailey School was founded on the premise to provide access to arts and dance to under-resource communities. I want to open a performing arts center to train, educate, mentor and encourage talented disadvantaged dancers to partake in the performing arts. President John F. Kennedy once said, "To those whom much is given, much is expected." Alvin Ailey paved the way so that my dream of becoming a professional dancer could become a reality when he founded The Ailey School, I want to do the same for the next generation of dancers. It will be my commitment to reach back to help others achieve their dream. There aren't affordable performing arts centers in my community. The cost for dance lessons, a personal trainer, summer intensives, travel, attire, is very expensive. When it's time to apply/audition for the top tier dance programs, some inner-city youth are not prepared to compete; therefore, I want to open a performing arts center which will provide quality dance instruction to disadvantaged dancers. This will be a huge investment in my community or any urban area because there are many talented youth who cannot afford dance lessons or the required personal training. My performing arts center will offer affordable classes to enrolled students at the fraction of the cost for classes at other dance studios and conservatories because of donations, scholarships and grants and the instructors will be professional dancers who volunteer to train and mentor the young dancers. I will also require each dancer to present their report card to enroll in classes and to continue their enrollment at the performing arts center because academic excellence is equally important. If a dancer is failing in any academic area, I will require tutoring in that subject to remain in the performing arts center and to improve on their grade (s) before they can resume their dance class (es). Still, my performing arts center will be a safe space for youth to train, create and foster lifelong skills and friendships. My goal is to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography at Towson University, become a professional dancer and open a performing arts center. Dance is my passion. When I am on stage, I am in my element. I am the paintbrush, the music is my palette, and the stage is my canvass. Alvin Ailey once said, “Making dances is an act of progress; it is an act of growth, an act of music, an act of teaching, an act of celebration, an act of joy." The sound of the blood pumping in my ears as the adrenaline kicks in and the audience cheering as I take my final bow. That’s the dream of being a professional dancer. That is what I dreamt about from the first time I watched the Ailey dancers perform at the New York City Center. When I become a professional dancer, I want to inspire my audience as they did. Then I will use my experiences and resources to make an impact in the lives of disadvantaged dancers by opening a performing arts center to help them pursue their dream. This scholarship will help me impact the lives of the next generation of dancers.