VERY rough draft of my Personal Statement

   My heart was beating fast as my friend who had become like a little sister to me stood by my side in the green room. The room was filled with over a dozen children changing into their next stage outfits, some yelling at their mother for pulling their hair to hard while putting it into a tight bun. As we waited I went over the movements that I had been memorizing over the past few months. The music played in my head. I could see the fear and excitement play off of the girls that I had become a family with over the last three months. I knew that the same look reflected off my face.

I had never grown so close with a group of people, especially not in that short of time. I relied on them more than I had with anyone else. I needed them to help me remember how much of a plié in one part. They relied on my good memory to remind them what we had learned the week previous. It was a give and take relationship.

There was only one group before us, and then it was our turn. I could taste the last minute hair spray being frantically put on by a stage mom. My family and I went over the dance one last time before it was our turn. One of the stage managers yelled for us to be quiet as the large grey door that lead to stage left opened before us and the performers that had just performed rushed out, and we walked into the dark side of the stage as the crowd clapped.

Ever since I was young I was very independent. My mother told me that when I was ten months old and learning to walk that I would not let anyone help. She stated that if she or anyone else would come to lift me up after falling that I would turn away from their help. I really don’t know why I did that. Maybe it’s the fact that I was adopted and psychologically I didn't allow myself to become close to the people around me because I feared that they would leave me also.

That is why I don’t think I’ll ever regret the hours I spent at dance. Even though some days it interfered with singing and piano lessons, every drop of sweat was worth it. I learned that it was alright to put my trust in someone. I wouldn't fall every time that I jumped. It also got me more used to the idea of being relied on, and even teaching. I learned how to be gentle when explaining a concept to someone which helped me to see that I could be a teacher and it even made me excited by the idea. I learned so much from something that I did not think would have that much effect on me. I was happy to have been wrong.