Rutgers She's the First Chapter strives to empower girls

Recently myself and my chapter members were interviewed for the Daily Targum, the Rutgers University newspaper, about the work we are doing on campus to combat global disparities in universal girl's education. For those who know me and where my heart lies, this organization is my baby and I can't wait to see where it goes in the coming years. You can read the article here.

Rutgers Leaders Blog Post

I promise that I have not fallen off the face of the earth in regards to blogging! This semester has been consumed by a million and one fabulous opportunities, but the number of papers I've had to write have been endless. I am currently working on my twenty-five page research paper for my trip to the Women's Worlds Congress in Hyderabad, India, and I promised myself that I would take a short hiatus until that paper was finished, but I couldn't stay away from the blogging itch. To suppress my blogging need, I wrote a guest post for the Rutgers Leaders blog on the trials and tribulations of being a leader on campus, which you can view here. I promise I will be back shortly!

She's the First Interview

You can catch me at 20:00 speaking on behalf of She's the First*{Rutgers} about the value of getting involved on campus, the mission of our organization, and even Beyonce!

A Day of Thanks

This morning I woke up bright and early to cheer on my high school's football team, the Absegami Braves. Although the wind chill was frigid and my toes were numb, I was warmed by the sight of so many old friends, whom I've shared a bundle of memories with throughout the years. It's somewhat baffling to think that so much has changed over the years, but at the same time, nothing has changed. I'm more than thankful to have led a life thus far, where I can walk into a familiar space and be greeted by the hugs and compliments of those I grew up with. After our alma mater beat our rival team 44-6, I headed home to hibernate under a blanket on my couch and haven't moved since. I'm incredibly thankful that I lead a life where I am constantly exhausted, busy, and stressed because that means that I am surrounding myself with challenges and goals to achieve.



With each passing year, I find myself becoming more and more aware of how thankful I should be and how easy it is to get lost in the complexities and rigidity of life. Not everyone gets to wake up every morning and enjoy a cup of their favorite coffee, followed by attending a college class, in order to get one step closer to how they envision their lives to be. Today, and everyday, I am undoubtably blessed to have a family that supports my outrageous endeavors no matter how many times I change my mind or how outlandish my ideas appear to be, friends/teammates that always provide me with a safe space to vent, a second, pageant family that has taught me many life-changing lessons to instill a belief in myself that I never knew I had, and a "pen pal"/boyfriend who makes me feel as though I am the most special human being to ever walk this earth and who showers me with unconditional love.

  

A few months ago I had the opportunity to participate in the Scarlet Day of Service with my teammates, a day Rutgers University students dedicate to serving the greater community. The site we chose was a nursing home for elderly women, in which we were hosting a "Pirate Luau"(trust me, it was as fun as the title hints!) After assembling leis, concocting "mocktails," and playing DJ, our site leader approached us to do a quick dance performance for the women. On the spot, we threw some of our sideline routines together and the women could not stop hooting and hollering(especially when we did the kick line!) They even asked us for an encore performance, which we eagerly performed without hesitation. We invited some of the women up to teach them a sideline and you would be surprised at how limber these women were. They were giving me a run for my money! In that moment, I was giggling and having so much fun that I completely forgot that we were in the middle of midterms and I had a mountain of work to do. It was then that I realized how thankful I am to realize the importance of immersing myself in the service of others. There is nothing like putting a smile on someone's face while sharing your talent, something that has brought so much happiness and substance to your own life. I am thankful for my health and my ability to dance, as others are not are lucky to have such basic necessities. After our performance, we were able to spend some time conversing with the women and gained a little insight to their personalities as they imparted life lessons I will never forget. When all the volunteers were asked to stand in front of the room and introduce themselves, complete with college major and career goals, the women were in awe of what we all strived to achieve. The moment that stuck out most prominently to me was when the women were asked if any of them had similar majors or careers, they all sat their quietly, with the exception of a few. One woman explained that when she was growing up, they were taught solely how to be a housewife and college was seldom an end goal. One of the things I am most thankful for is my education and how it's allowed me to expand my mindset and view of the world in just a few short years. I'm thankful that my family has put everything on the line to see that I reach my utmost potential. I'm thankful that I am allowed to be vocal about my beliefs and opinions and that I am encouraged to make change in areas I see fit, without fear of retaliation or intimidation. I have been granted endless opportunity and been able to take advantage of it, which not all can say. On this Thanksgiving, I am grateful to be surrounded by endless support.

This past weekend, I held my first set of Fall Arts Workshops through The Arts Empowerment Project, with help from my alma mater dance studio, The Absecon Academy of Performing Arts and my mentor/dance teacher, Miss Jenny. There is nothing like being surrounded by the laughter of children and watching lightbulbs start to emerge as they're running through interactive activities that teach underlying lessons of creativity, team building, critical thinking, and the like. I'm thankful that I've found a passion that sparks me with energy, constantly challenges me, and something that I can pursue every day. I'm thankful to have attended a dance studio that leaves it's doors open to its students long after they've "left the nest," as Miss Jenny would say. After a long few hours of movement-based challenges to get the participants on their feet and working in groups, we all sat down and had a moment of reflection, by taking out our writers journals to complete a prompt based on "I Am" poems. Part of this year's workshop was to supply each child with a writers journal where they could step outside of their comfort zones, learn about internal reflection, and have a safe space to store their deepest thoughts and dreams. When the girls were done writing, quite a few were eager to stand up and share, presenting their carefully crafted phrases like, "Art means me feel important. Art makes me feel like I can do anything. Art makes me feel special." One of my girls, for the "I want" part  of the poem said "I want to be just like Cierra when I grow up," and another wrote, "I want to be as good of a dancer as Cierra when I grow up." I am thankful to be a role model and mentor to so many beautifully driven and talented young girls, who constantly inspire me and motivate me on a daily basis. It is moments like these where you can't help but be anything but thankful. 

It is my wish you for all on this Thanksgiving, that you remember the little things, the seemingly common and mundane things, and give thanks that they are present in your lives. Call a far away loved one, put your phone away and look someone in the eyes to tell them how much they mean to you, and give generously with all that you have. Let this be the day that you turn your life around for the better and live life with open arms, an open mind, and most importantly, an open, giving heart. 

The Summer of Change

With the onset of the not-so cool October weather, I've been contemplating the various life lessons I learned over this past summer and many of those lessons are now coming into fruition now that I am back at school. When I say that life post-Miss New Jersey was a struggle, I am not exaggerating. From focusing on one goal with a tunnel vision mentality to having to assimilate back into reality, it was quite the wake up call. When my previous(because I won't call her old!) director, Anne  called me the day after Miss New Jersey tell me that there was a distinct reason why God didn't have the Miss New Jersey card in mind for me just yet, I sat and waited for that reason to dawn upon me and low and behold, it finally did in reflecting on my growth and experience over this summer.

Interning five days a week and working the other two to sustain some sort of income wore me to the bone, but at the same time bubbled me with excitement. Everyday was a new challenge, a new hurdle to jump over and I pushed myself to the limit, knowing that my internship experience would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain real life experience in two fields that bring out the fire in me.

When my co-president of the Rutgers University chapter of She's the First told me I should intern for She's the First and that it would change my life, I brushed it off by thinking it would be just another internship opportunity. I was wrong. Very wrong. Remember when I mentioned earlier about how everything happens for a reason and how Miss New Jersey wasn't in God's plans for my this year? Well, this is why. My first day at She's the First I was given the task to plan our large-scale partnership workshop with The Young Women's Leadership Schools of New York. It was my job to craft an innovative workshop that would teach the campers how social media can be used as a "superpower," all while informing them of the goals of She's the First and incorporating a global component that would expose them to the issues that lie in disparities of global girls' education. I remember sitting down with my color-blocked, filled planner reassessing what I had gotten myself into. I doubted my own abilities to complete such a task. You'd think after traveling the state giving talks about the importance of arts education in public school settings and hosting a handful of arts empowerment workshops that I would be a pro at this sort of thing, but this large scale camp wasn't in front of a group of ten Girl Scouts or a classroom of fifteen, this was one hundred girls in a gymnasium. Yikes.

Keeping the overarching camp theme of "taking risks" in mind during the planning process, it enabled me to reflect on my own goals and where I strive to be not only in the future, but in the right now. When I stood in front of the campers, all my inhibitions subsided and I was open. I wanted not to fill them with knowledge as if they were empty vessels, but lead them to their own realizations. After the first day of camp, I realized I was standing in front of a group of wide-eyed girls preaching to them about taking risks and going "all in" in every sense of phrase from a physical, social, and mental standpoint. I challenged them to get uncomfortable, to get out in the world and meet new people, and to put themselves out there to be praised and criticized without fear. Without fear, there is no growth. Tying in She's the Firsts' mission to cultivate leadership at home to create a dialect and solidarity amongst leaders at home and abroad, I had them do something different in using social media in a positive way to share their stories, value their own opinions and the viewpoints of others, and create a community for change. My first challenge for them was to construct Tumblr blogs and write. Just write. When I first starting writing my own blog posts, I felt such a strong sense of empowerment and agency. What I had to say was important. People read what I wrote. People even cared immensely about what I wrote and I realized that by just sharing my voice and enabling others to witness the struggle and daily lessons I learned, I was creating a beautiful platform challenging the stereotypes of pageant competitors, all while engaging in an activity that brings me solace and comfort. This immense task of planning this camp slowly transitioned into a passion project, and yet another way I was achieving my ultimate goal of helping others realize their voice and instilling within them the confidence that they could use that voice to facilitate change.

When I sat in my bed the night after that first day of camp I began to contemplate. I was teaching these girls to use social media as a stepping stone to tell others about their passions, yet I wasn't following through on my end of the deal. I started connecting my experience not only to professional and personal development, but platform development. By using new technology, I could potentially reach a large portion of the vast arts education community and really take what I've been doing on a local scale and take it state-wide and even national. I came to the conclusion that in my own personal life, I was becoming stagnant and comfortable in where I was, instead of reaching and aiming for the next goal. Knowing that I could harness social media and new technology to be a powerful tool, I assembled a Facebook and Twitter page to not only keep people updated with my platform progress, but to encourage awareness of important arts education issues that are surfacing in today's economy. In just a few short months, I've been able to make solid connections with organizations and arts and education advocates across the country(not to mention get tweeted at by Cory Booker!) In fostering relationships via social media, I've been able to expand my platform much farther than the four walls that surround my workshops, and be inspired by other organizations and the programs they've set in place. I've applied for grants and just finished my first t-shirt fundraiser, which far surpassed my goal of $200, raising over $600 to start a scholarship fund for the students who participate in Arts Empowerment workshops. This year I am adding a poetry component to my fall and spring workshop series, and I am hoping to start a music education program to compliment the already set in place workshops.

As part of my Social Action Project through the Institute of Women's Leadership Scholars Program and my honors thesis, I've been conducting research on arts education and it's impact on the pedagogy and teaching of culture and civic engagement in our youth. It's thrilling for me(in a nerdy sense!) that I can take what I've been working on for so long and study the theory behind it. Arts Empowerment Project workshops focus on cultivating the “four C’s” in its participants: Creativity, Community Building, Communication, and Critical Thinking, which is achieved by using art, movement, and voice as a medium to discuss issues of body image, school attendance, goal-setting, mental and physical health, and violence. Students from various ages, cultural backgrounds, races, and genders come together to use visual and performing arts as a vehicle to create more productive communities and as a safe space for personal reflection and creativity. I was recently awarded a $500 grant that will allow me to incorporate lessons of cultural competency in Arts Empowerment Workshops through the introduction of the geographic, historical, and cultural origins of various art forms. Students will learn lessons, watch videos, and be exposed to different cultures, while being encouraged to talk about their own experience and backgrounds as part of the curriculum. It's fulfilling to watch my brainchild develop over time and having a hand in its start-up is what fuels my drive to continue to grow this program. It's my hope one day that The Arts Empowerment Project will touch the lives of students from every corner of the state and bring them the same lessons I learned in the dance studio that has shaped me into the leader I am today.

You're probably wondering what about my other internship with The Office of the Attorney General? Well, I can't tell you much because I am sworn under oath, but it truly was an eye-opening experience. I will tell you, as a HUGE fan of Criminal Minds and Law & Order, that it is NOTHING like it appears on television. Crimes do not get solved in a matter of an hour or less, but rather years upon years of gathering evidence does not always lead to even bringing a case to court. I also came to another vital realization...my future career will not involve sitting in a cubicle from nine to five. I am a people person who thrives off the presence of others. I met a handful of knowledgeable mentors, challenged myself to study an area I was unfamiliar with, and got an insider's view on what I have to expect in my future career path. 

One last highlight of the summer that I have to share is Douglass Fall Orientation. For two years now I've been able to serve as a mentor and leader for the new class of Douglass women. At eighteen years old, I was the shy freshman who just wanted to hide away in her dorm in a host of books and go home every weekend. I sometimes wish someone would have told me to just get out, just live a little, that there was a world of opportunity and possibility waiting on the other side of my door.I was used to being the "star of the show" so to say and was a well-known leader through the halls of my high school. At Rutgers, I was no one. I had to start again and the fear of the unknown plagued my daily ventures until I started to take advantage of all Douglass had to offer. Fortunately, I was enrolled in the women's residential college and was surrounded by a supportive, tight-knit community of like-minded women who had aspirations far beyond the norm. I was inspired to get out, speak out, and get involved in leadership activities. It was then that I regained my sense of self confidence and set out to conquer the world. In being an orientation leader, I've been able to instill that same sense of confidence in other young women, just like myself. I will never forget when I spoke on the student panel and answered a question about balancing credits and extracurriculars and it was brought up that I was tackling 20.5, the maximum credits allotted, that semester. A few months later, one of the students in the audience came up to me at the dining hall and said, "Hey! You're the crazy girl taking 20.5 credits! Every time I get overwhelmed or stressed, I think about you and say 'If she can do it, so can I'." This brings me to one of my favorite quotes, "Be strong. You never know who's looking up to you." Be that person. Be that change. Someone is always looking to you for their own strength, so when you're lost, remember that you are always someone's someone. 

I'm learning to put myself out there and take risks in every facet of my life. Fear is such an inhibitor and should motivate you rather than discourage you. I think for too long I've been afraid of the "what ifs" rather than focus on the "when." do not underestimate yourself and your abilities out of fear. Even "superwoman" gets scared sometimes. I cannot be everything, I cannot do everything, but I can strive to, as you should, too. Now, it's onward and upward as I try to take my own advice!

Is This Miss Coastal Shore 2014?

When my new director, Michael, called me and exclaimed that one question, I knew my life would be changing forever. About a month ago, I punched my ticket to this year's Miss New Jersey pageant and took my first steps towards a new year of service as Miss Coastal Shore. Just in case you're wondering, yes, I slept with my crown and sash next to my pillow, and yes, it still does not feel real. You would think after going through this process multiple times that it wouldn't be novel and exciting each time, but trust me, it is. I am elated, to say the least, and even more so honored to have the opportunity to serve my community, my state, and remain a tangible role model to the young women I'm privileged to meet and be inspired by on a daily basis.

A close family member questioned me why after three times not walking away with the crown would I compete again, and it made me think about my own intentions as a titleholder. I promised myself that when competing no longer became exciting for me, I would hang up my crown and high heels in pursuit of the plethora of other dreams waiting for me; however, each pageant still invigorates me, and with each passing year I fall more and more in love with the organization and what it stands for. Why? Why would I continue to compete after not walking away with the crown three times? Easy. I've spent the past few years traveling the state, speaking to other young girls about goal-setting and perseverance. I preach to them that despite adversity, anything is possible if you put your mind to it and work tirelessly for it. I can't walk away from a dream solely because it didn't work out as I had hoped the first three times. I can't just give up solely because people think that I can't do it. I can't just throw in the towel when there are groups of young girls looking up at me with wide eyes, desperately needing a tangible role model that looks like them, which leads me to my thoughts on last night's Miss America results.

I am ashamed and appalled at the reactions of certain Americans on social media regarding Nina Davuluri's crowning. The face of America is changing to one that encompasses the idea of diversity. Our country was founded on the principle that "all men are created equal," although that does not ring true through the societal constructs we've created that deny all people to live harmonious in a country that is known for its celebration of diversity and cultural difference. The ignorance and uneducated comments have to stop. We live in a country where we have access to unlimited knowledge, yet we fear for the unknown and the different. Nina exhibits everything a Miss America should be- brilliant, well-spoken, talented, humble, and most importantly, she is a trendsetter. If you didn't know, after my experience in being heavily involved with She's the First, I am a HUGE proprietor of "firsts" in all aspects of the word. Nina was the first Indian-American Miss New York, and now the first Indian-American Miss America. That alone speaks volumes about the steps that this nation is taking in moving progressively forward to take the steps needed to provide equal opportunity to all people regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, or socio-economic background. She is using her voice and her notoriety to champion that it's okay to be yourself and is unapologetic about where she came from and the hurdles she jumped to achieve success. She is making Miss America relevant to today's young woman. She is a role model to me and other young women across the country because she doesn't fit your "typical" pageant girl stereotype, but rather defies this norm and is a true representation for America and everything we should stand for as American citizens.

Many believe racism is still not alive and present today, but speaking from personal experience, I can tell you it is alive and well. When I was in elementary school, I had a crush on a little boy who told me he didn't like me back because "I was black." My mother and father would walk down the street holding hands and get scoffed at because my mother is Asian and White, while my father is African-American. Still to this day, people question my intelligence and reduce my intellect because of the color of my skin. There have been countless instances where I go to a Girl Scout meeting or hold an arts empowerment workshop in a low-income community and the advisor thanks me for coming into that space and bringing my crown to show the young girls that despite what they see on television or in magazines, they possess all the qualities needed to be a Miss America. I have frizzy, curly hair that never does what I want it to do, and that always seems to be the talk of what I need to fix in regards to my pageant preparation. I've tried everything from the Keratin straightening treatment(which burned my scalp to a crisp and made me have to cut inches off my hair) to relaxers and perms and back, yet still nothing works to tame my afro. Why do I have to conform instead of be comfortable in the skin I was born in? I believe it's my job as a titleholder to use my title to bring light to the fact that celebrating yourself, complete with imperfections, is the best way to achieve self-fulfillment. Miss America is so much more than hair, or skin color, or an exterior characteristic...it's about being a young woman of character, being confident in all that you are, and using your talents and gifts to pay it forward and be a change-maker in your community. I use my voice and this blog to defy the stereotypes of pageant competitors and hope that my readers appreciate and respect my honesty as I share my story to change the world in my own way.

In other Miss Coastal Shore news, I had my first Girl Scout workshop with my new title and I was bubbling with excitement to go and surprise the girls. I hid my crown and sash tucked away in my bag as we danced and sat down and had a conversation about goal-setting and dreams. I am always so blown away by the brilliance of the young girls I meet and just being surrounded by such open minds warms my heart. As we were dancing, one of the girls said she was tired and didn't want to dance anymore, so I told her if she didn't dance she wouldn't get a surprise at the end. Of course, that peaked all of the girls curiosities and they questioned about what the surprise might be. They guessed everything from a Barbie Dream House to toys from a new Disney Channel show about monsters. When I asked what this monster show was about, they told me the show stars these female monsters that are "pretty and skinny and always save the day." I laughed because I had no clue what the show was and told them I must be getting old, to which one of the girls replied, "But Miss Cierra, you don't have to worry. You have a good body for someone your age." Needless to say, I couldn't stop laughing at their serious humor. The Arts Empowerment Project just finished our 2nd Annual Stuff-a-Backpack Drive, in partnership with U.N.I.T.Y.-Uniting Our Neigh

borhoods and Investing Time in Our Youth, and we were able to donate over 200 school supplies to children and families in need. Millions of children go to school without the necessary supplies each year, which makes it difficult for them to transition into a new school year and puts financial strains on family. The average family spends about $100 on back to school supplies for children, and I can't even begin to imagine what it's like to go into school the first day and not have the basic necessities. Back to School is my favorite time of year and through my collection efforts, I can only hope that a backpack full of school supplies can inspire the same excitement and love for education in other children in my community. Thank you to everyone who donated and participated in the drive. If you did not have a chance to donate, but would still like to, I start collecting early and would be more than happy to take any supplies you may have.

I also had the honor of decorating jeans with the children at Children's Specialized Hospital for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals annual Miracle Jeans Day fundraiser. At a time where I felt overwhelmed and frantic, and overcome with anxiety because of the commencement of a new school year, being at the hospital put everything into perspective. The children there are so full of life and energy, despite whatever they may be overcoming. It seemed selfish of me to even remotely feel sorry for myself and my woes, when there were so many other larger issues at hand. All the kids wanted to come in and "see the princesses," which gave fulfillment to my day(not to mention help me live out my lifelong dream of being a princess!) I made a great friend with one of the girls, who celebrated her birthday just the day before, and we spent the entire time cracking jokes, decorating jeans, and getting to know each other. We also got to talk about one of my favorite things, jewelry, as she complimented me on my collection of bracelets. It was at this point that I was reminded of my grandfather, and heard his words, "Everyday I give something to a child because they're the ones who are going to give back in the future." My new friend asked me if I thought she could be Miss America one day and I slipped my bracelet onto her wrist, as a belated birthday gift, in hopes that she would always remember that she could.

There are so many exciting opportunities and happenings going on right now in school, with dance team, and the new expansion with my platform! If you haven't already, please check out booster.com/artsempowerment and order a t-shirt for The Arts Empowerment Project fundraiser, so I can continue to provide free arts lessons for children to achieve their academic and artistic goals, while also being able to start a scholarship fund for the children I serve. I've been keeping busy, as always, but I will write more about other updates in another blog post soon!

What Arts Education Means To Me

It is always at this time of year that I think about that moment almost five years ago where I stood amidst a raging crowd with sweaty palms, shaky hands occupied by notecards, and cameras flashing vigorously around me. I was a junior in high school when I found out that my high schools arts programs, including my beloved dance program, were at risk of being cut. I remember the teary eyes of teachers wandering down the hall with the dreaded news looming over them that their job was at disposal. I needed to do something. My way of combatting this issue was going to a school board meeting and delivering a speech in hopes that I wouldn't get cut off, like those who spoke before me. It was disheartening and frightening to think that a program I worked tirelessly to get accepted into could easily be locked in a closet and shoved away for no one else to experience the growth, the friendships, and the life lessons I left in my high school dance room. I distinctly remember being young and going to all the dance shows and being enthralled with the beauty of dance. I would tug on my mom's pant leg, look up at her and whisper, "That's going to be me one day." And then it was.

As negative of a situation that it was, it shaped me into the person I am today and taught me a pivotal lesson about myself. The arts develop creative thinking and analytical skills, which sets children apart from their peers in a competitive workplace. We live in a society that emphasizes assessment and test scores over creativity and collaboration. Students go into class, memorize facts, and regurgitate them on a Scantron test in order to achieve high scores, yet employers value the 21st century skills of critical thinking, communication, and innovation that you often don't find in a typical classroom. Students immersed in arts education have higher GPAs and standardized test scores, lower drop out rates, and better attitudes about community service regardless of socio-economic status. I could sit here and spit facts all day about what arts education does logistically for youth, especially at-risk and low-income youth, but that's not what moves people. Personal narratives, I've found, are the most enticing way to make change, so here's my story. I never envisioned myself as a leader. I never imagined I would be standing in a room full of people, spilling my guts out. It could've been someone else who was courageous, but something inside me stirred. After the Board of Education meeting where I stood up and spoke in favor of the arts programs, namely the dance program, I felt so empowered. I felt like I had a voice. I felt like my voice was valuable and the ideas that I kept bundled up inside for so long were important. People wanted to hear what I had to say. People agreed with what I had to say. The arts were so much more than just a program. If you asked me what was the largest turning point in my life, this was it. I knew from that moment on that I had this incredible gift of leadership masked with passion that I needed to share. It was then that I knew I wanted all the young people I come in contact with to know that their voice could make a difference, even if it was the tiniest whisper.

What would a public high school look like without the arts? Would it be eclectic, diverse, and full of life? Would the walls ooze with the creative work of meticulous hands? Would culture and individuality bounce off the walls? I often ponder what my life would look like if I had never been exposed to the arts. Bland and void of energy are the two immediate descriptions that come to mind. More and more I've been beginning to see that when you're invested in something so wholeheartedly, it makes you jump out of the bed in the morning and want to share it with others. That's how the arts makes me feel. There's this goodness in my soul that makes me realize I could spend the rest of my life ensuring that other young children can wake up and feel the same way about something, whether it be the arts or not. I've found that as long as you have that one thing, whatever it may be, that makes you come alive and empowers you to have a voice, literally or figuratively, that is when life is truly lived.

Dance has always given me something to work towards. When I first started (you can ask my mom) I was God awful. I was in the back of all the dances, at least two steps behind everyone else and during class you could often find me in the corner dancing around aimlessly and not paying attention. I was overweight, inches taller than everyone else my age, and all I wanted to do was fit in. I was told multiple times that I was too fat to be a dancer, even though my sole aspiration was to be a ballerina. I worked through it and took that same work ethic and determination with me and applied to other facets of my life. Dance has given me an escape from the everyday ills of life. Life is constantly changing, with it's complex peaks and troughs, but the arts was where I found something concrete and solid that no matter what happened, it would always be there. There are days when I hate dance because it gives you nothing back, just that fleeting moment of being out of yourself. Dancing brings out the strongest emotions in me, from rage to excitement and back through the spectrum. There have been times that I wanted to quit and throw in my dancer towel, but it would be those moments that I would start choreographing to a beat I conjured up in my head. When I got my heart broken for the first time, when I had anxiety about leaving home and starting college, when I felt like I didn't fit in, I danced. In being an overachiever with the ultimate Type A complex, I've always put so much pressure on myself to be perfect in everything I do. So many people see my exterior and think that I'm this superwoman, when in reality, I battle with myself on a daily basis. When I dance, that's the one place where I feel like I don't have to be perfect. Someone wise once told me that if what you're doing doesn't evoke some type of emotion in you, it's no longer worth doing. I will continue to fight for it until it no longer serves or grows me.

When I was a senior in high school, I had this crazy idea to hold free arts lessons for kids who otherwise would not have the opportunity to be exposed to the arts and use the lessons as a means of encouraging all students, despite adversity, to achieve their artistic and educational goals. Now, almost four years later, this crazy dream has turned into a reality and expanded in ways that I never even imagined. My platform work, even before it was my platform, started out as just wanting to promote arts education, but since then it has transformed into a story of empowerment. I remember one time during a mock interview I was asked, "What does the empowerment part of your platform name mean?" At the time, I wasn't too sure. I guess I just liked the sound of it.

I fell in love with all the kids I came in contact with during the program, and watching them grow over just a few short weeks gave me a fulfillment to last a lifetime. Seeing the same shy children who clung to their parents' pant leg later get up in front of a group of people and perform was just as life-changing for me as I hope it was for them. It's a beautiful thing when you walk into a room and kids swarm you to hug you or when you're leaving a one-day workshop and kids line up to hug you as their way of showing gratitude. It wasn't until I partnered with the Girl Scouts that my platform work gained it's true substance and I began to relate my own experience to what I was actually doing. In leadership studies we often talk about the path to leadership as being a continuum, rather than just having that "click" moment where everything made sense in an instant. For me, it was a combination of the two; however, I will never forget my "ah-ha" moment when one of my Girl Scouts pulled me aside after one of our meetings and told me her mom couldn't afford dance lessons so she went home everyday after school and learned a few new moves off YouTube each night. That is when I realized the empowerment component. It's about going after what you want, even if you don't have the resources, because you feel entitled to. It's about finding that one thing that gives you a sense of agency and using that to fuel you to make your mark on the world.

I wholeheartedly believe a student's voice can be heard through the way they express themselves in their art form. Just like presenting an argument to a crowd in a debate, artists are on the verge of getting their point across to be heard loud and clear. Dancers communicate with their bodies, thespians reveal their emotions through their face and the way they interpret their monologues, singers belt out their song to display their emotional energy, and artists place their thoughts on a vast canvas. When students can effectively present and portray their ideas and emotions, they acquire an inner self-confidence that leads to success.

So what does an arts education mean to me? It means having a stronger capacity of self-assessment, securing a sense of your own abilities to plan for positive futures for yourself and your community, and capturing an imagination where creativity is so strong in the 21st century, where our country desperately needs innovation. It means questioning authority, questioning yourself and where you stand, and using the quest for the answers as a stepping stone to societal change. It evokes an awareness of yourself and your surroundings. It means being honest with yourself and learning the value of hard work that equates to a yielded product. It means challenging yourself to think critically, analytically, and outside of the box. I credit my success to the confidence dance has instilled in me and the life lessons that I learned in the dance room. If you want to improve something, you knock at that door until someone opens it. Most importantly, it means finding a voice and using that voice to change your own life, and the lives of everyone else you meet.