For the world of Irish Dancers, the month of March is truly their time to shine. While they work hard 365 days a year in preparation for the major competitions, St. Patrick's Day is their time to share their love and talent with those around them.

Many dance schools give back to the community through performing at nursing homes, elementary schools, festivals and even parades.

The Walsh Kelley School of Irish Dancing happens to be the team I had the honor and privilege of dancing with for over 12 years. Based out of Charlotte, with studios also in Greensboro and Wilmington, NC -- Walsh Kelley is an incredible school that greatly helped shape who I am today.

To the outside world, it's a foreign dance with thousands of sparkles, spray tans, fancy dresses and wigs. But to us dancers, we know it's so much more.

After being mesmerized by a Walsh Kelley performance in kindergarten, I decided to pick up the sport the very next year and stuck with it throughout my entire childhood. Irish Dance is single-handedly the reason I am who I am today, as it taught me more than just dance steps and how to look pretty on a stage.

Irish Dance taught me:

How to have grit.

How to set goals.

How to be humble.

How to be self-disciplined.

How to have self-confidence.

How to have stage presence in front of large audiences.

But most importantly, how to never give up.

I can go on for days with the amount of "How To's" this sport taught me. If not for Walsh Kelley I would not have had the confidence to be on Student Council nor would I have had the confidence to become a University Ambassador or an Executive Council member for my sorority.

Everything I have become I owe to my two all-time favorite teachers.

To Colleen — The dance mom extraordinaire:

Thank you for being the parent mine could never be (seeing as they didn't know a single thing about the dancing world in the beginning). Thank you for pushing me harder than any other coach I've ever had. Thank you for all the memories, road trips, and fun statue pics. My parents might have been sad every time I brought home gold and they weren't there to see it, but I wasn't because you knew what a win at every level meant better than them anyways.

To Aine — The namesake behind Walsh Kelley:

Thank you for teaching me that "can't" is never a word that should be in an athlete's vocabulary. Thank you for being the reason I have the strength to overcome any and every obstacle that comes my way. Even if you had to duct-tape my broken wrist and push me back onto the stage to teach me that lesson. What you taught me a decade ago is still relevant today.

Lastly, to the WKS dance fam —thank you for being the best teammates I've ever had. St. Patrick's Day will never be the same without you all.