When growing up I jumped fences, played football in the street, and double-dutch on the curb. I was considered a tom-boy because of all the sports that I participated in, but I didn’t care. I loved being athletic. Being an athlete was the most important thing, next to my academics. By the time I graduated from elementary school, I was awarded Most Valuable Player in every sport a female could play and captain of two of those sports.
I continued my hard work in sports and academics throughout high school; by that time I was a professional at balancing both. During high school I was very interested in becoming a part of the National Honors Society. I was a bit skeptical about applying because there weren’t many people who looked like me that were members; I was intimidated. I knew that would be the hardest thing to accomplish within my four years because it required so much. I still tried. I came to realize that cheerleading was my favorite sport so I decided to settle down with it. During my senior year of high school, I not only became a member of the National Honors Society, but I was also announced captain of the cheerleading team.
Entering NIU as a freshman, there were many things that I didn’t know. But what I did know was that I couldn’t hang up my dancing shoes. There was a dance team that caught my eye. I became interested in auditioning for it. When the day came I was more nervous than any other audition I had done. I stood in the back of the room feeling my eyes burn from the sweat dripping into them. Every time I danced I swallowed my heart and looked to see if anyone was looking at me make a fool of myself. There were so many upper classmen and awesome dancers; I just knew I wouldn’t have a chance. They’re looking at me as if they were thinking, “She is no competition!” Something told me to just go through with it, so I did. I gave it my best physically, but I wasn’t as confident as I should have been. I patiently waited at the end of the audition to expect a sorry speech for me not making the team. My eyes wandered off as they screamed, “Congratulations Sierra, You are now apart of the Dynamic Dance Collaborative!”
I believe that hard work pays off. Many times I tend to doubt my abilities, which prevents me from doing things I wish to do. I have to remind myself that with hard work and determination anything I want to do is possible.