I’m more than just a uniform, a loud voice, and a pretty face.

I wanted to be a volleyball player. When my mom was little, she hurt her wrist playing… Which lead to me not being able to try out because “I would get hurt”. My friend told me she was trying out for cheer, and convinced me to go with her because she was scared to go alone. I ended up making it and she didn’t but I never really believed in quitting. I like to see things through until the end and then make a decision from there, so I didn’t feel like quitting right then. I stuck with it and I found a passion for cheer. I also found out that I really love dancing. My whole life I was seen as an introvert. In elementary or middle school, you would’ve most likely found me reading a book in the corner of the room or talking with a small group of friends rather than socializing. Now that I’m in college, a lot of people see me as more social than introverted. I feel like cheer has awakened a more social side of me because of the opportunity to be the face of the school and engage with the crowds during games.

It’s funny because I feel like there’s a stereotype about cheerleaders that they’re seen as mean, unfriendly, and kind of sassy. However, I’ve been preached by my coaches that we are supposed to be friendly and people should want to talk to us. I don’t know what people think of me, but I’d like to assume they see me as friendly and look past the glitter and the uniform. I’ve definitely become more social because of cheer. When you’re in front of a whole crowd it takes a lot to put yourself out there. Especially for me because I was not used to anything like that. In uniform, I feel like I can go up to people and have the confidence to have a conversation with random people. I try to use my newfound confidence in myself in a positive way. I love reaching out to others when I can, and I want to prove to others that I have more to offer than a loud voice and a pretty face. I’ve been teaching a dance class to elementary school kids at Queen Anne for a little bit over a year now, and I’m happy to use my influence to share my passion for dance with my students. I hope they can find the same sort of confidence that I feel when I dance.