I remind myself everyday just how lucky I am to do what I love! I feel so fortunate and I'm just trying to take my life one day at a time.

I've gotten nothing but warmth from the Black community and positive feedback.

The best piece of advice that I remember probably on a daily basis is to accept everything about me that is different. That is what makes me special.

There are muscles that we have in our feet that most human beings don't even know that we have. The strength that we have is so detailed.

I will never be the best dancer or artist. I will be growing until the day I retire.

Some people even think that I'm still just not right for it [ballet]. And I think it's shocking because they hear those words from critics saying I'm too bulky, I'm too busty. And then they meet me in person and they're like, you look like a ballerina. And I think it's just something maybe that I will never escape from, those people who are narrow-minded. But my mission, my voice, my story, my message, is not for them. And I think it's more important to think of the people that I am influencing and helping to see a broader picture of what beauty is.

Ballet found me. I was discovered by a teacher in middle school. I always danced, my whole life. I never had any training, never was exposed to seeing dance, but I always had something inside of me.