Misty Copeland: She takes the cake

Growing up as a dancer, going to classes 4 days a week for hours on end is beyond stressful but when it's something you love to do the stress doesn't even matter.  Ever since I was little I dreamed about becoming a dancer and soloist for ABT (American Ballet Theater) but that dream was quickly taken away from me by injury and huge life changes.  Misty Copeland has faced adversity not only with her body and image but with her ethnicity as well and she has done more than over come it.

This is why she is my mentor.

Misty just recently wrote a memoir called, "Life In Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina" which talks all about her unique story.  She has been very open and willing to tell her story about how she became a part of history by becoming the third black female soloist in the history of the American Ballet Theatre.  It's truly amazing and inspiring, I'd really recommend reading it if you can.  You can tell just by reading bits and pieces of her memoir that she really opened up about her past.  She wants people to know why she is the way she is, why she made certain choices and most of all, she wants people to be able to relate to her.

Being the first black female soloist for the American Ballet Theater in over 20 years takes an incredible amount of talent, hard work, determination, style and grace, which just scratches the surface of reasons why she is my mentor.  In my mind, when she talks about how despite all of her struggles, ballet is the one thing that got her through everything, I completely understand, though she's gone through way more than I have. Ballet is something that uses movement to express emotions that words cannot.