I was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. Growing up, I would visit South's dance recitals annually since most of my cousins and friends participated in them. As I watched them glide and leap across the stage, I imagined myself on that stage someday. Coming from a low-income community, we are seen as not being capable of achieving something wonderful in life. I am grateful to say that I have the most loving, supportive, and creative family to teach me how to contradict those stereotypes. They all pushed and encouraged me to do something with all my creative energy. Given the fact that I do not have Beyoncé's voice, or the artistic capabilities of Picasso, and the persistent begging from my family who wanted another dancer, I gave dance a shot to help manifest my creativity into something fun. I came into the dance program as a shy kid who could barely speak to others or do any sort of turn. Now I am in Company dance with lots of new skills, and it is amazing to see and feel the growth as the years passed. It is crazy to see me doing stuff I would have never imagine myself doing, especially ballet. I would also like to add in how much dance has impacted my education. Because we focus on human anatomy, it made my science classes easier. I already knew about the skeletal and muscular systems way before my anatomy teacher taught me that. We also focus on proper grammar and writing formats because of all the essays we do after performances. My english teachers would love to read my essays and leave little comments about the formatting. Lastly, it helped me branch out more and not be afraid to ask for help. Dance gave me the confidence to speak out loud and not be embarrassed over anything that goes on in my classrooms.