What does every little kid want to be? An astronaut, a firefighter, a mermaid or a princess perhaps? There are a great many possibilities, and at a young age all things seem attainable — the world is an oyster.

Well, I skipped all these fantastic occupations and went straight to district attorney (here’s looking at you, Jack McCoy). My childhood was undoubtedly filled with cool experiences, but life was quite practical in some ways. It has often been suggested that I grew up quickly; my friends joke that I came out of the womb a 12-year-old solving algebra problems. So, it has recently occurred to me that I missed out on a key childhood dream and one that many girls share, that of being a ballerina. After all, ballerinas are poised, graceful, and move beautifully, classically across center stage. Is it not, at one time or another, a young girl’s dream to dance with a bun atop her head and tutu around her waist? Having never actualized my desire to be, as they say in “Wicked”, dancing through life, I felt slightly robbed though entirely grateful to my parents for putting me through years of Tae Kwon Do as an alternative. My mother’s claim was that I lacked grace but still needed balance so martial arts it was! Hint: Weird stuff your parents sign you up for can actually be helpful/cool/frightening/a perfect interesting fact for the first day of every single college course, so just roll with it.

My three years at UNC, though chock-full of academia, have taught me more life lessons than scholastic ones. They’ve taught me to know my true friends and know myself, as well. Circumstances can change in seconds, and what was there before you can vanish instantly. Just the same, doors are opening constantly, and it is our responsibility to walk through them, seizing new opportunities and embarking on potentially remarkable journeys. Our position requires that we take an initiative to find, if not create, our own happiness.

Last November, I noticed a course available at UNC — PHYA 308: Intermediate Ballet. I was elated! That’s a class? How had I not seen it before!? Had it not fit into my schedule? Didn’t matter. That was irrelevant because now it did, and nothing could stop me from finally becoming a ballerina, which is pretty awesome if you consider {baller}ina. I waited in some exasperation for winter break to come to an end, which is a rare and nearly unbelievable thought for a college student to have, but for three weeks, all I could think about was dancing under the instruction of Lauren Petersburg for one wonderful semester.

Join me as I chaînés, chassé and maybe even grand jeté through spring, and connect with me on Twitter for even more dance lingo that I don’t quite know the meaning of yet! Thankfully, Lauren assured me that I didn’t need experience, only a willingness to learn and a positive attitude.

Oh, and don’t forget the ballet slippers.