4. Challenging Moment

 One of the hardest things I had to go through was when I did not make dance team here at NAU my first time. I put myself out there, I gave it all I had and it just wasn't enough. How dance auditions work here is that there are about 3-4 rounds before making the team. I made it to the last round, and I could practically feel the uniform on. My heart was pounding with every number she called that wasn't mine and then it felt like my heart fell out of my body when the final number called didn't belong to me. I cried all night, and for the most of the drive back to California. When my friends and family would ask about auditions, it took all my power to hold the tears back. I felt broken and empty.
When I came to school I didn't know if I would ever dance again, until I found Badjacks. Getting back into dance reminded how much I love to dance and that it really is a part of who I am. In this challenging moment I learned to push and motivate myself. When it was time to re-audition last year I started training harder than I've ever had in my dance career. I went to the racquetball courts everyday for about two months to practice my turns and hip hop tricks. Pushing myself paid off because I made the team, but more importantly I learned a lot about myself. I learned that no matter how hard I have been knocked down I can get back up, brush myself off, and try harder the next time. Anytime I am dancing, and I'm tired and I feel like I can't do this, I think back to the moment last year when my number was called. I ran and hugged my mom, both of us crying tears of joy because I had made it. I made it to the level of confidence I had before not making the team the first time around.