College Admissions Essay: A Career In High School Dance

I began playing the trumpet in the fifth grade. Back then, I loved playing the trumpet. We had band practice at the end of the school day every Tuesday and Thursday, and I looked forward to those rehearsals every single week. I loved it because in elementary school, the directors didn’t care about my tone quality. They didn’t care about how talented I was. They couldn’t care less whether or not I practiced. I loved it because it just gave me an opportunity to socialize with my friends more.

As a youth, I engaged in many forms of dance expression. I studied tap, jazz, and ballet for fifteen years. During these formative years, I choose to forgo many youth experiences so that I could participate in advance dance programs. The hard work paid off when I received a college scholarship to a performing arts

Combined with it’s broad spectrum of academic and practicum experiences, I believe James Madison University will aid in reaching my maximum potential as a Speech Pathologist. In addition to the academic and practicum experience, the graduate program’s focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder has sparked my interest. My critical thinking and teaching skills were refined when teaching appropriate skills and behaviors for maximum involvement and success in the community with the Autism Society of North Carolina. My skills and experience working with autistic clients and their multidisciplinary team to provide best therapy opportunities would be beneficial towards my success in the CSD 528 Autism course offered at James Madison University. I would love to advance my research skills, in Dr. Longerbeam’s research project on the impact of sensory integration intervention on vocal/verbal output of children with

Dancing has been my passion since the age of three. Wake up, go to school, go to dance, go to sleep. My life was a routine of the same day playing over and over again, and I loved it. My senior year of high school I was accepted into the Commercial Dance program at Relativity School. I felt my dreams become a reality of the perfect future I had always worked towards.

My drive to help others stems from my time volunteering with the service organization, Rotary, and their leadership program, Camp RYLA. When I attended this camp as a high schooler, I learned invaluable lessons of self-confidence and connecting with others, traits seldom found in a high school environment. My experience at this program inspired me to return as a counselor, where I have been helping foster the growth of today’s youth for the past four years.

The dancers in the earliest ballets were highly skilled professionals capable of feats of strength and agility.

My life's journey is aspiring to further my education to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) as well as acquiring the credentials for Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Upon achieving a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, I plan to apply my skills in a rehabilitation setting focusing on individuals with disabilities. My goal is to make an impact in the lives of many families and to empower these individuals to strive to their fullest potential. Furthermore, I find it gratifying helping individuals reach their goals and most importantly their dreams. I am currently working with the community and volunteering with the Autism Services Clinic at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Assisting children with special needs has been an exceptional

Originally, I was drawn to speech pathology after my sister’s diagnosis of Autism at the age of three. Watching Diane struggle with language development and acquisition while other children seemed to grasp these skills naturally is what initially sparked my interest in helping families like my own. At the start of my junior year, I set out to obtain experiences working with different populations. Toward the latter half of junior year, I became involved as a clerical volunteer at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center. By senior year, I was balancing a full course load alongside three volunteer experiences. In addition to Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center, I divided my time between tutoring at a neighboring elementary school in the Twin Rivers School District and serving as an intern at the Autism Center for Excellence (ACE). During my undergraduate experience, I welcomed the opportunity to work with students that struggled with literacy, language, and pragmatic skills. After graduation, it was my goal to obtain additional experience in the field as a speech-language pathology assistant.

Over the past several months, I have volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House. I prepared snacks for the residents and provided entertainment through arts and crafts for the children who lived there. I enjoyed hearing the stories that the residents shared and learning about their struggles. I specifically cherished painting pictures with a little boy who was a cancer patient himself. His mom told me and other volunteers the heartbreak of his prognosis and the story of his ongoing treatment. During another visit to the house, I had the opportunity to meet two twin little girls from Texas who were looking forward to seeing their first snow. I believe I provided some entertainment for the children in order to give the parents some time for themselves. Also in the past, I have volunteered at several church fundraisers serving meals and clearing dishes. Not to mention, last summer I helped out at Animal Adoption Foundation, an animal shelter where I exercised the animals and cleaned up after them. Plus, for many years I have participated in a community cleanup. Recently, I have also begun helping at Roll Hill Community to provide young boys in low-income families with activities to keep them out of trouble. Finally, through school, I volunteered at Peaslee Neighborhood Center in an impoverished neighborhood working towards bettering the futures of the local children. I found each of these volunteer opportunities to be very rewarding because I believe I am making a difference in my community and other communities and improving the lives of the people I touch. Similarly, I connected with several children experiencing different issues, but nonetheless, I provided the same

Playing the violin is one of my best talents. First, I had to practice a numerous amount of minutes to make it to where I am. Second, it’s a great way to meet new people. Lastly, I couldn’t have done it without my Mom. Playing the violin is one of my skills, I worked hard, became more social, and got supported by my Mom.

Music has been a passion of mine for many years. The sonic power of frequency captivates me entirely along with the depth of theory that goes behind it all. Nothing is as integrated with art, human expression, and science as music is. You have sound and frequency as itself, and then the physical, tangible applications that allows us humans to harness and mold the sound into whatever we want. I have been playing music since I was young, and as time passed I grew more curious about the way things around me worked. I began to wonder how the tools of the art work. This curiosity has driven myself to knowing the ins and outs of the physical realm within the music world. I want to know how the amplifiers that I use on a day to day basis function.

Acts of service always created a desire in me to help make people’s lives better. People often put forth their best when

I stood up in front of a hundred curious, gleaming eyes. “Hey guys,” I began, “I’m going to show you why the trombone is the coolest brass instrument ever!” I immediately whipped the slide out and performed a series of sequential glissandos, each one with more vigor than the last. That morning, I was performing with my school’s jazz band at the KIPP Elementary Academy in Philadelphia. Over a decade passed since I had last stepped foot in a Philadelphia school, when I attended the James Dobson School in kindergarten, yet the cozy gymnasium and the children’s crisp uniforms instantly evoked memories of my childhood. But one thing I did not remember from the past was having the opportunity to experience jazz at a young age. Thus, I desperately wanted to display the awesome power of brass instruments that is the soul of jazz music and inspire the kids to partake in the timelessly euphoric journey of music that I am blessed to have taken.

I have been dancing since the age of two. When asked about my career aspirations, there is no hesitation before saying “I want to be a dancer.” Being a dancer means putting all other distractions aside, and focusing on my craft. Currently, I dedicate over forty hours a week to dance, which is a schedule that requires sacrifice. When I am dancing, the rest of the world fades away, slipping out of my mind with relaxed importance. For that moment in time, I am completely free, wholly focused on my goals, letting me know dance is what I’m meant to do. With this realization comes a responsibility to myself and the work I have put into improving my craft thus far, and I know I must seek out the best opportunities for growth and continued learning.

Surrendering my free time to serve others, is often times not something I crave to do. Selfish ambitions take over, and consequently, I participate in activities I find pleasing to me rather than others. However, when I take the time to assist others and take action in my community, I have found that it is a rewarding experience. Volunteering has never led me to anything negative, and it has allowed me to be a part of a positive and uplifting experience. My desire to volunteer may consume my time, but the countless rewards I receive from volunteering are priceless. Offering my time to organizations has allowed me to become more humble, see the happiness it brings to people, and improve my social skills.