Walker's Dancer Wins Scholarship for Essay in National Competition

“Imagine a little girl so quiet her school teacher gave her a microphone during class so she could be heard. So insecure she would not speak up even if she knew the right answer. This was me.”

So begins Margaret (Garet) Wierdsma’s award-winning essay on what dance means to her. Garet is a sophomore at The Ethel Walker School (Walker’s) in Simsbury, a member of Walker’s dance company, and a member of a local dance team. Every year, the local dance team competes in the American Dance Awards nationals. This year, the nationals were held in Florida.

Garet says, “In addition to my love of dance, I also love writing, so I decided to enter the essay contest they hold every year.”

The winner is announced at the awards gala after the competition, and is called up on stage to read their essay in front of a crowd of hundreds of people. This year the topic was, “What has dance done for you?”

Garet won the contest, and the girl who was once too shy to speak up in class told the crowd that dance was what gave her confidence in herself. She recalled being a little girl who had no natural ability to dance, who had to work hard at it, but loved it anyway.

“While teaching my body how to dance, dance has taught me who I am,” says Garet. “Not everybody is born with visible potential, but everybody has potential inside. Dance taught me perseverance. I have been the last to move up in groups, to get a solo, to get noticed. I discovered that I can turn it around. I believe in myself, and my abilities. Dance has given me confidence to be me.”

Garet received a $250 cash award for her winning essay.

Photo courtesy of The Ethel Walker School