University of Rochester

My interest in dance wouldn't be as pronounced as it is today if not for the mentors I met along the way. From my senior peers to my dance instructor, their leadership put me on the right path to success. Recently, I got the chance to make the same impact on the next generation of Dancers.

For my community's cultural day, a few students were putting together a dance performance, albeit with no prior dance experience. They were looking for an instructor and choreographer for their group and asked me to lead. Although excited, I soon realized this would require more from me. When I started teaching the group, their movements were offbeat and messy. With the performance only a few weeks away, I had to take charge to ensure a great performance. I increased the number of practices, sacrificed more time from my week, and used incentives to lead them to do their best at every practice.

On the day of their performance, I sat at the front of the auditorium, nervous but also excited to see the final product. But when they started the routine, I knew I was proud regardless.

These kids have done 5 performances after this one. While they received a new appreciation for dance from my leadership, I have grown as a person and a dance teacher, further understanding the importance of mentorship. In the future, I hope to continue teaching others about dance and helping expand its prevalence in our community.

I look in the mirror as I put on my jhumka earrings and fix my lehenga skirt. This traditional Indian costume has become an important part of my identity and every one of my dance performances. As a Bollywood dancer, my life isn't complete without monthly performances or dance practices. At Rochester, I hope to continue my exploration of this passion. Rochester Raas is a competitive Indian dance team, focused on traditional folk dance. By joining Raas, I will be able to continue the activity I love, while also learning more about my traditional roots and heritage.

I am also well known for my vast collection of books and my tendency to read during any free moment. At Rochester, I hope to start a unique book club focused on sharing our passions for reading. Rather than everyone reading the same book, members of this club will recommend books they have liked in the past to their peers, allowing for discussion and the joining of like minds. This practice started with my small group of friends, and I hope to expand it to the Rochester community in order to find others with similar interests as mine.

To Nigerians,

It's been eight years since we've been subjected to the tyranny of bad governance. Our medical systems have been destroyed, economy devaluated, and freedom of speech banished. But we need not worry for long. Just 5 years left!

By 2027, I will have explored the strategies behind successful revolutions in Prof. Meguid's Introduction to Comparative Politics Class ( PSCI101) in my world politics cluster, equipping me to successfully lead us through the revolution we've eagerly awaited and install a political system that will ensure our happiness. With the help of the Greene Center, I will have gained practical experience of the biomedical engineering career field by interning at Corning's biochemical department, enabling me to contribute to the rebuilding of our medical system. I will have developed a Parkinson-stabilizing device from my experience analyzing human motion with MATLAB in Professor Buckley's BME 201-P class. I hope to later extend this device to cater for poliomyelitis, a disease that has plagued us since 1982. I will have strengthened my ability to put corruption under check through music by developing my soprano voice at Vocal point.

But even more importantly, I will have been Meliorad- made ever better and equipped to make you ever better.

I will be made all these at University of Rochester.

Best, Sade.