How I Became A Hokie.

Hello, my name is Hermela Solomon and I’m going to tell you about how I became a Hokie. Ever since I was 7 years old, my mother put me in every dance class you could possibly think of. She used to tell me that when I was a toddler I would run around the house putting on performances for my family. Dance has been my life ever since I could remember. When I entered High School I even joined the Dance Team and stuck with it until I graduated. Dance has always been my way of expressing how I feel and sharing who I am as a person. When my junior year in High School was coming to an end, I knew that I wanted to go to school for dance and one day dance for Beyoncé. The winter of my senior year I was able to audition at Pace University in New York City for the Commercial Dance program. I was thrilled that I had a chance to live out my dream, in a city filled with opportunities. On the other hand, my mother was not as excited for me. She continuously preached to me how I needed a stable major that would guarantee me a stable job in the future. She praised and lectured how Virginia Tech would provide me many opportunities that would guarantee success and a happy life. But inside me heart I knew that my dream was greater than becoming a Hokie for the next four years of my life. After waiting for a little over three months, I got a very “thin” layered envelope that congratulated me for being accepted into the Commercial Dance Program. But surprisingly, over those three months I had an “Aha moment,” and realized I could do both at Virginia Tech. After many hours of researching dance at Tech, I realized that my future was guiding me in another direction.