We asked some of the brightest folks from within the community to reflect back on their days in school and to share with us a story of when they learned a particularly important or impactful lesson. We’ve shared highlights below.

Sarah Rainbolt-Foss

I remember sitting in beauty school, overwhelmed by all the information being thrown at me—skin histology, product ingredients, protocols, techniques. I thought, “If I can just get through this, I’ll finally know everything I need to succeed.” But the truth hit me hard after I graduated. Read more>>

Savanah Senn

My training includes fusion improvisational vocabulary, Raqs Sharki, and datura style. My experience includes group and solo pieces. My main teacher now is Stefanya for Egyptian style technique and vocabulary. She focuses a lot on avoiding injury, inner thigh activation and internalized movements in the soaz, and continuously improving dance rather than focusing on conformity and perfection in the moment. Read more>>

Addie Parker

I’ve been really fortunate to have such incredible teachers and educators my entire life, not just in school but in extracurriculars, too—so choosing one important lesson is really, really difficult. But there’s one lesson that came to mind rather quickly, and I look back on as being a lesson that altered my way of thinking. Read more>>

Devika Kulkarni

If you ask me how I was in school, I have no shame in saying I was absent, mentally and physically. I was never regular in school because the environment didn’t feed my interests. Although the skills I was learning were essential and pushed me out of my comfort zone, I just wasn’t ready to put myself out there. I didn’t feel safe enough to express myself because I thought my way of thinking was unconventional or “wrong”. Read more>>