Growing up I did dance, and I was obsessed. I took every single class that I could and I even competed. I was at my studio every single day, I dreamed of putting a ballet barre in my bedroom. I'm honestly hoping that my future husband lets me have a dance studio in our house. But anyway, life got busy and I had more important things to focus on than dancing, like school and getting into college. So sometime in high school I stopped. I was super bummed and I wish I didn't but i knew I had to.

Fast forward to the Fall 2017, it was first semester and at the student activities fair was the ballroom dance team table. Of course I went over there, I was looking for it to be honest. I had friends who did it and absolutely loved it, so naturally I had to give it a try. Unfortunately it wasn't going to work out for me, and I didn't want to join second semester in the middle of the school year.

So I waited, I waited until this semester to join. When I joined, I was welcomed by the most amazing group of people ever! Honestly, no joke the ballroom team has the kindest, sweetest, caring, funniest, and coolest people around. Everyone was super welcoming and non judgmental and I knew from there I was going to love it.

As the weeks and practices went on, the entire ballroom team of new comers quickly became friends with each other and with the upper level dancers. Honestly, the ballroom team is one big happy family.

Everyone on the ballroom team supports one an other. We joke around and laugh a bunch. We cheer each other on and that's honestly one of the best parts of the competition is watching your teammates get callbacks and receive ribbons. We make a ton of memories, from the long and early bus rides to competitions to all of our crazy pictures.

Oh, and anyone who knows me, or has been around me since going ballroom, knows that I now try to get everyone to Waltz and Foxtrot with me. Sorry not sorry, they're my favorite dances.

The ballroom team brought back one of the most important things in my life, dance. It even brought back competitions, and let me tell you at the our most recent competition, which was Brown University's competition, it was beyond amazing. The entire atmosphere of the competition was warm and welcoming, much like Rhode Island College's ballroom team. Although it is a very tough and long competition, I feel as though my partner Tom and I danced well. I mean like look at this picture that was taken!

Vanessa Coelho

Because of ballroom, I now have another skill in life, I have something to look forward to, I have made a tons a friends, and I have people I can run to whenever I need to.

Although I do have a LONG ballroom dance road ahead of me, I'm very glad and grateful that I get to dance through the journey with some of the most amazing people.