Dance has always been a big part of my life since I was three years old. I couldn't possibly imagine quitting after high school.

I knew my last recital was not going to be my "last dance." I promised myself to continue dancing as long as I could after graduating high school. I researched different dance organizations at Syracuse the summer before my first semester to know what I needed to look for when I arrived. Within the first few weeks, I was tracking down the DanceWorks' table at involvement fairs, and following their Instagram account. From there, I went to the interest meetings to get more information about the workshops and audition process.

On the first day of workshops, I danced for hours straight, jumping from lyrical, hip hop, and contemporary. I wasn't able to walk for the following week. My roommate asked me why I danced for so long, but it was something I loved to do and didn't mind the pain in my legs walking up the Mount steps every day. I didn't know if those last couple of classes would be the last time I would be able to dance styles that I was raised in.

I had years of training, but still unsure where I stood against the other dancers, so I auditioned for every dance my body was capable of doing. I considered myself a ballet and lyrical dancer but still tried out for hip hop routines to improve my chances. My ballet teacher believed my training in ballet would help me transition into any style of dance, except tap. This was another five hours of dancing and another week for sore legs. Ranking the dances I wanted to be a part of was the hardest part of the entire process. I ended up putting jazz and hip hop higher up than contemporary routines that I thought I was better at. When people ask me what style of dance I do at college, I answer with lyrical and jazz- something I didn't say a year ago.

Transitioning from traditional studio dance to DanceWorks was a completely new situation for me.

Dancing at college has a unique dynamic between my choreographers and other dancers. I was used to a more formal, structured, and strict format and interaction between my instructors. Now that my upperclassman were my choreographers, it was a more relaxed relationship, which it took time to warm up to. They were our friends who wanted to know what our lives were like outside of rehearsal and let us goof off. My choreographers were always very real with us. At the end of the day, they were students too. They had their own lives apart from DanceWorks and encouraged us to branch out and work hard.

I remind myself of how lucky I am to continue dancing in college. I'm so grateful that I get to meet people who share the same enjoyment and excitement that I feel.

I'm so fortunate to be a part of a group with talented and lovely people. Rehearsals are always the highlight of my week and I get to make memories outside of the studio. I look forward to dancing three times a week with girls who never fail to make me smile, and cannot wait for my first college showcase. My relationship with dance grew with DanceWorks and I couldn't be more blessed to perform with such amazing people.