March 8th 2022
There was a period in time when I was completely independent.
I remember going to Wright State University as a young 18-year old kid. I also vividly remember my mother leaving after getting me all situated in my dorm. I couldn’t figure out why she was crying because this was the best day of my life. I was so ready to be on my own. When you grow up as an only child while being raised by a single mother, you become extremely independent at a very young age. I didn’t mind being by myself, in fact, I preferred it. I was so use to the sheer silence that I grew up with, and I was in for a rude awakening when I had one of the loudest roommates on the face of the earth (different story for a different time).
I experienced a lot my Freshman Year at WSU, but the most influential moment was falling in love with contemporary dance. I was introduced to my Modern professor, Gina Walther, who happened to dance with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and was a good friend of Dwight Rhoden's. I was introduced to the Horton technique of Modern dance. Something in my life finally made perfect sense to me. It was like she took a blindfold off me. She is one of my biggest choreographic inspirations to this day. I think of her often, and I miss wandering into her office and asking her questions on a daily basis. She is a beautiful soul and everyone who she comes in contact with is changed for the better.
I didn't fully embrace the idea of being a concert contemporary dancer until my junior year of college. A good friend of mine, Jacob Shade, had attended a summer intensive at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and told me to look up videos of the company. I was completely taken off guard because I thought that I knew what I wanted in life. I was so wrong.
While I was at Wright State, we were required to have meetings with our professors to discuss our progress as students at the University. I had a meeting with the head of the dance program at Wright State, Teresa Wylie McWilliams. She told me,"An incoming freshman experiences eight years' worth of change crammed into four. You are not the same blonde 18-year old who sat in that same chair three years ago and told me that you wanted to dance professionally at Charlotte Ballet. Look in the mirror and be proud of how far you have come."
It wasn't until I went back to my apartment later that day that realized how right she was. I remember looking in my mirror and remembering how much I had overcome my junior year of college. I had changed. I no longer saw a timid blonde 18-year old who didn't have a clear vision of what she wanted with her life. I saw then what I see now. I am proud of how far I have come, and I am proud of my achievements no matter how small. I am excited to see where life leads me in the years to come, and I am thankful for the powerful woman that I have in my life as examples.
Now, onto International Woman's Day. Pictured below is my beautiful mother and grandmother. Without them, I would not be who I am today. There is a phrase that I say all the time to my boyfriend and his mother. That phrase is"This is why men need wives."
If you were to ask any married man what they are most scared of in life, I promise you their answers would fall along the lines of "When my wife is mad at me."
Women are powerful human beings and the world wouldn't run the same without them. Do you ever wonder why the house is always spotless, how the dishes magically get cleaned, how your clothes end up back on their hangers, or how there is always food in the fridge? Thank your wives. Thank your mothers. Thank your girl friends. A lot of what they do gets overlooked on a daily basis. They are super hero's who don't wear capes, and they answer to many names.
Side Note: If you haven't watched Psych, do so immediately. You won't regret it. This quote is from the show.
"You treat a woman like a person, then a princess, then a greek goddess, then a person again" - Shawn Spencer
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