I have prided myself on being a dancer since I began at the age of four. I could not be more grateful for the lessons it has taught me about discipline, creativity, and passion. Dance has molded me into who I am today: the artist, the academic, and the human. Thus, I cannot imagine my life without this art and will be working to attain a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance at New York University, while also majoring in Media, Culture, and Communications. Many people have asked me what getting a degree in dance could really do for me, since it’s not typically a career that most people believe requires a true education. However, just like any profession, getting postsecondary schooling in dance is the preparation I would need to handle any nuanced aspect of my future. Attending a university specifically for my BFA will allow for high level training that allows me to come into who I am as an artist, yet still it emphasizes growth in my technical ability. This degree I am pursuing will allow for my life-long dream, becoming a professional dancer for a contemporary dance company, to come true. I am also choosing to pursue a major in Media, Culture, and Communications because I believe in a well-rounded education. Yes, being strong in dance is important, but so is advancing my “people skills.” I know that to be a truly strong artist, I need to bring more than just talent to the table. Ultimately, I will be more valuable by furthering my education in more than just dance. However, I will admit that my pursuit for a career in dance has been hindered by crime. When I was in sixth grade, my 27-year-old dance teacher and mentor was fired from my dance studio for being in a relationship with a student at least ten years younger than him. Not only was it deeply traumatic to realize how close a sex offender was to me, but I lost a lot of trust in the studio’s staff members that knowingly allowed for such a horrible man to be so close to young girls. Therefore, my dance training greatly suffered. I stayed at that studio for the rest of the season, made hardly any growth, and was forced to pack up and switch studios. However, despite having a criminal so close to me and my dance career, I continued to forge forward and fight for a better, less traumatic training environment. This scandal also helped me to realize that I would continue to dance, no matter what was thrown at me. Overall, I choose to pursue a BFA in dance and double major at New York University, despite the ups and downs that have been thrown at me while pursuing this art these past fourteen years. I cannot imagine my life without dance, thus I will do everything in my power to keep it there. No matter the crimes I was exposed to at a young age, I know this passion would never be affected.

I have prided myself on being a dancer since I began dancing at the age of four. I couldn’t be more grateful for the lessons it has taught me about discipline, creativity, and passion. Dance has molded me into who I am today: artist, academic, and human. For the past fourteen years, I have pursued a highly nuanced education in dance. In reward, I’ve had the opportunity to dance on professional stages around the country (Dumbo Dance Festival, Detroit Dance Festival), attend intensives with professional dance companies (BalletBC, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ballets Jazz Montréal, Complexions Contemporary Ballet), receive multiple recognitions (The Dance Awards top 20 senior “Best Dancers,” YAGP top 12 contemporary soloists), and help teach members of the next generation of dancers. Dance has instilled in me a sense of perfectionism, passion, and discipline, allowing me to pursue and excel in both my artistic field and in academics. Although I’ve committed a lot of effort to dance, I still have found time to participate in school work to the best of my ability, as I will now graduate in the top ten percent of my class at Kettle Moraine High School. Of course, this extreme commitment to activities I am passionate about has prepared me for my upcoming path: pursuing a BFA in dance at the prestigious New York University, my goal being graduating within three years. I’m choosing to pursue dance in a postsecondary setting, not only because I know that education is the first step towards being qualified for success, but because I cannot live without dance. How could I, when it has been a major founding factor in my identity? Naturally, I am thrilled to follow this postsecondary path and couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to do so.