I’ve been dancing since I was three years old and began competing by the age of seven. From a young age, I attended numerous dance competitions, earning several convention scholarships and awards, including titles such as Outstanding Dancer, JUMP VIP Winner, and NUVO Breakout Artist. In high school, I was a four-year varsity member of the Catalina Foothills Pomline and had the honor of serving as captain during my junior and senior years. During my time on the team, I was recognized with the “Most Spirited” and MVP awards. I also danced with the Southern Arizona Spirit Squad’s All-Star team, where I had the incredible opportunity to compete at the world level. While at SASS, I shared my passion for dance by teaching a mini-competition team and leading multiple weekly dance classes. These past two years, I’ve been proud to be a member of the Arizona Pomline, performing at football games, men’s and women’s basketball games, baseball games, and a variety of school-sponsored and community events. This past year I also had the opportunity to travel to Kansas City for the Women’s Big 12 tournament. It’s been an unforgettable experience to cheer on the best school in the country, and I’ve loved every second of it.

An interesting fact about me is that I went on a double black diamond the very first time I went snowboarding. Two winter breaks ago, some friends and I took a ski trip to Durango, Colorado. I had only skied once before and hadn’t even considered trying snowboarding. But on the morning of the trip, my friends convinced me to join a private snowboarding lesson.The lesson lasted from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, and by the end, I felt like a pro. My instructor even said he’d never seen someone progress so quickly and told me I was ready for the mountain. Feeling confident in my new skills, I decided to join two of my more advanced friends at the top of the mountain. We went up at 3:00 PM, just an hour before the mountain closed, and I didn’t bring my phone to avoid breaking it. Almost immediately, I lost my friends and had to figure out my way down alone. They had told me to follow the signs and stick to the green runs, but as I kept falling and getting more exhausted, I eventually reached a sign that only pointed to a double black diamond. Midway down, I wiped out hard, and my snowboard came unclipped, sliding off a cliff and into a tree. I ended up sliding the rest of the way down on my own to finally reunite with my friends, who informed me I’d been on the mountain for two hours and that ski patrol had been searching for me. Despite the chaos, I went back the next day and had an amazing time. I’ve completely fallen in love with snowboarding and can’t wait to hit the slopes again!