As I sit here trying to find the words to describe what DanceBlue means to me, “Tuesdays” keeps popping into my mind, solely based on the fact that DanceBlue has forever revolutionized my Tuesdays. As every college student knows, Tuesdays are the “ehh” day of the week, nothing exciting really ever happens on a Tuesday— you’re not even half-way through the week and it’s not Bachelor Monday so honestly what’s the point? This is where DanceBlue comes in—it made my Tuesdays single-handedly the best day of my week.  

My junior year, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to serve on the Family Relations Committee, and this upcoming year I have the immense privilege to serve as Family Relations Chair. This committee continues to be the biggest blessing in my entire life. It has undoubtedly shaped every aspect of who I am and continues to do so. While serving on this committee, I was given the Tuesday morning shift to go hang out with the coolest kids on this planet. Quickly, Tuesdays no longer were the “ehh” day of the week, but the best day of the week, simply because I got to be with the kids that I love more than anything in this entire world. 

Tuesdays in the Clinic are anything but “a regular old Tuesday.” They’re full of joy. So much joy that it’s impossible for me to even begin to put it into words. On Tuesdays, smiles are endless, laughs are heard around the corner, dance battles are had (which I always lose for some reason??), playdough is sculpted, and pranks are pulled. I truly don’t know how I got so lucky to be a part of these families’ battles, but it is definitely something that I will NEVER take for granted.  

There have been so many times throughout this past year where I have found myself saying, “HOLY COW. How did I get so lucky to be a part of something this incredible?”. One of these moments happened a few weeks ago. I was in Lexington for the Hyundai Hope on Wheels Donation—another “regular” Tuesday. At the ceremony afterward, one of my Tuesday clinic regulars and I were outside “on a safari” when she asked if I could come into the clinic and play with her—I mean, how could you possibly say “no” to a face as cute as hers. 

Yup, you guessed it, the “regular Tuesday” quickly became overpowered by the magic that is DanceBlue. This sweet gal was telling me all about her new boyfriend (*wink, wink*)—and she and her parents told me a story that has since stuck with me. The story basically summated to the fact that another girl in her class told our DanceBlue cutie that she looked like a boy because she didn’t have any hair (*cue superhero boyfriend*). Her sweet boyfriend stepped in and said that “she was sick and didn’t have hair because of her medicine. And that it most definitely wasn’t her fault.” The best part of this story? They’re literally in first grade. FIRST GRADERS Y’ALL!! LIKE WHAT. TO. HECK. 

But isn’t that what DanceBlue is all about—spreading awareness about a monster that has no right to be a part of these kids’ stories? Cause I think so. Whether it’s Tuesdays or anything in between, DanceBlue is anything but “regular”. 

We all come into college wanting to “find ourselves”. To find that something that makes our hearts go pitter-patter. For me, that thing is our very own DanceBlue. I told myself coming into college that I would not be the same person that moved into my freshman dorm when I walk across the graduation stage. I wanted to be better than I was the day before and to find something that gave me a purpose. DanceBlue is all of that wrapped into one. I am constantly surrounded by people I want to be like—people that love the kids so well. How cool is it that 18-22-year-olds are literally changing the world? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again— I truly don’t know how I got to be so lucky to be a part of something so amazing. DanceBlue changes lives—it’s definitely changed mine. 

FTK always and forever.