Attending 两性色午夜 College has shaped Monica Rivera, 鈥�18, as a dancer, an educator, and a social advocate.
鈥淢y years at 两性色午夜 have been a gift. I have become a huge social justice advocate, which has inspired me to use my dance education platform to empower the ignored,鈥� said Monica, who earned a dance studies major with K-12 licensure.
Monica spent much of her time dedicated to the dance program, volunteering to help the department with recruitment events, on top of performing, choreographing, and stage managing dance productions. She also helped coordinate 两性色午夜鈥檚 High School Day of Dance, which hosts nearly 400 local high school students.
鈥淧erforming in dance concerts was one of my favorite parts of my 两性色午夜 experience and choreographing is a passion of mine,鈥� Monica said. 鈥淏eing involved in dance productions has enriched my understanding of dance as a craft. It鈥檚 allowed me to create and experiment with more sophisticated work.鈥�
Monica spent her final semester student teaching at Enloe High School, a full-time schedule that was challenging.
鈥淚 wake up very early to get to work and sometimes stay up late to prepare for the next day. I miss dancing with my classmates, and miss choreographing and performing with my friends,鈥� Monica said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e learned the challenges and greatness of teaching students every day.鈥�
She credits the dance faculty with shaping her as a dancer and as an educator.
鈥淭hey have gotten me to see and appreciate how much more I am going to grow in both fields,鈥� said Monica, who sees the dance faculty as role models.
After graduation, Monica is moving across the country to San Francisco, where she will be teaching dance in a public middle school, and teaching at a private dance studio part time.
鈥溋叫陨缫� College does an exceptional job making sure students learn as much as they can about any field they want to explore. I love dance and I love education. At 两性色午夜, I was able to deeply explore both fields.鈥�
While balancing the busy life of a student teacher and a performer, Monica said she learned to be patient with herself.
鈥淎t 两性色午夜, I learned I鈥檓 truly stronger than I think I am,鈥� Monica said. 鈥淲e all tend to have a 鈥榞o go go鈥� mindset. We often forget to take a breather, and realize we are doing something beautiful and great.鈥�
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