Let me start with this--being a leader rather than a follower has sprung a whole new perspective on me.

I've realized over the last year or so that I'm not just "Miss Monica, the girl who helps Miss Tracey," I'm a mentor to every single one of these girls. All of them are so full of life, and come into the studio with big smiles and contagious laughs ready to dance every week. I have become so attached to all of the girls (believe me when I say that it was ROUGH leaving them for the summer), and want them to be the very best they can be. When I was around their age, I was already setting more dance goals for my future self than my little head could possibly handle. But the truth is, none of them really know what's ahead. I, myself, did not plan for the many obstacles it took to get me where I am now. I know that saying "don't give up" is just a form of encouragement that is used more often than we think it should be, but it is taken too lightly. With this, my ultimate goal is to teach them the biggest life lesson that there is to be taught, which is to not give up. Because I was there once, and I made the mistake of giving up, completely.

I've always struggled picking up choreography and learning new technique. When I was younger it wasn't such a big deal because dance class was where I went to have fun, and be with my friends. As time progressed and I got older, I decided that dance was something I really loved and held dear to my heart. In 2004, the Manatee High School Sugar'canes performed at my school and from that point on I had my heart set on being on that team one day. I went to every dance clinic they had and even separated from all of my friends in middle school to attend an arts school to focus on dancing. Some injuries, and several years later I auditioned for the Manatee High Sugar'canes unknowing that at the end of the week I would get cut. Once a final list was posted, and the wrinkled number on my shirt wasn't on the list, I stopped caring. I stopped being on time for class every week, I didn't even care if I missed class just to lay around and stare at the walls in my room. Needless to say, it was devastating and what felt like the end of the world for 14-year-old me. With the results that I didn't like, I vowed to never try out for that team again. I can't express how many times my best friend (who was on the team) begged me to go for it at least one more time, because she knew that was what I wanted for so long. After a lot of arguing with her, I agreed to. Agreeing to try out one more time meant that I needed to cut the slack,and get myself back in gear. I lacked to mention that I had so many people beside me, encouraging me the whole way. To this day, I strongly believe that it's the people who encouraged me that drove me to push myself harder, and hard enough to make the cut the second time around. There were pros and cons of being a member of that team. It led me to dancing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and some national titles. But it had it's downfalls, too. Nationals was the biggest competition we competed at, and spent several months preparing for. I didn't think there could be anything discouraging about it. I was wrong, I was the only member from my class that was placed as an alternative dancer, and it killed me on the inside to know that my chances of taking the floor with my team were slim to none. Things did turn around, and I was put in the place of my best friend due to an injury. Little did I know, that the day before the preliminary competition I would tear my hamstring and sciatic nerve. Clearly I didn't get to dance at nationals, because I was embarking on the road of a 2+ year recovery, with no dancing for six months. To this day, I still have the most excruciating pain, but it doesn't stop me from doing what I love, and sharing it with these girls.

Everything really doesn't go as planned, but that's life. Don't give up.