Oswego East Student-Athlete of the Week-Amelia Mora

You could say junior dancer Amelia Mora was destined to dance at a young age. At the age of 3, Amelia’s parents enrolled her in soccer and t-ball. Her coach would often have to remind her that it was not dance class, as she could be seen twirling around on the field when she got bored, as 3-year-olds often do. Amelia’s mother, Ginny Mora, decided to enroll her in ballet, and from the first day, Amelia had fallen in love. Fourteen years later Amelia is still doing what she loves, only now she is counted on as a junior captain for the dance team at OE, and her leadership and attitude are why she is this week’s Oswego East student-athlete of the week.

For Amelia, competitive dance is more than just a sport, it provides her with the opportunity to be creative. “I enjoy how dance allows me to maintain and improve my health, but I love that it provides me an opportunity to make physical art with my body,” says Amelia.

Ginny understands why her daughter has not only fallen in love with the sport but also excelled, saying, “Amelia has a lot of endearing qualities.” She goes on to say, “She is very outgoing, kind, loyal, and a born leader. She loves to perform, is extremely competitive, and is very driven. These qualities speak to what kind of family member, friend, student, and teammate Amelia is for those around her.”

Head coach Alex Raber has not only Amelia as her junior captain but also senior Marissa Guerrero as her senior captain. Together, Amelia and Marissa work in tandem to help create routines and help their younger teammates adapt to the high school environment. “Besides being an incredibly talented dancer and wonderful person, Amelia’s attention to detail and ability to uplift her teammates is what makes her so valuable to the program,” says Alex.

Dance is virtually a year-long sport, with tryouts taking place a few weeks after the season ends, camp being held each summer, and the team working routines during football season and heading immediately into the competitive season. The long season provides several highs and lows that require leadership from the dancers, not just coaches. “As a captain, it is essential that I come to practice with a positive attitude and ready to work,” says Amelia. She goes on to say, “As a leader, I want to make sure to set the example, and I try to be specific and intentional about the words I choose when speaking with my teammates.”

That intention to detail is something that Amelia prides herself on, and something that will undoubtedly help with her intended career of becoming a lawyer. After graduation, Amelia has her sights set on attending DePaul University, competing for their dance team, and majoring in Pre-Law. “I’ve always been told I’m a natural leader and I have a tendency to want to make sure rules are being followed,” says Amelia.

Ginny and her husband Ricardo, Amelia’s father, are not surprised their daughter intends to become a lawyer, and believe she has the required characteristics to excel in the field. “Amelia has always been moved by social injustice,” says Ginny. She goes on to say, “The movie Just Mercy sparked Amelia’s interest in becoming a lawyer. Amelia will be successful because she has proven since a young age that once her mind is set on something she is unstoppable. She has good morals and is strong-willed.”

Amelia certainly has the credentials so far to show she can excel in the academic arena, having earned a 4.1 G.P.A. while enrolling in rigorous courses such as AP Language and Composition, Honors Chemistry, Business Law 1 and 2, and is a member of the BPA (Business Professionals of America). It was those Business Law classes where Amelia had an opportunity to learn from Stacy Sajder Adams, who sees the necessary traits for Amelia to become an excellent lawyer.

“Amelia is a phenomenal student and person,” says Stacy. She says, “Academically, she exceeds all standards set forth. She is one of the leaders of her group (BPA) and is so eager to learn how to be successful in her competition, which includes many outside hours of studying on her own. She is an incredibly genuine person who is kind and cares about everyone around her, including her teachers. She makes me want to be a better teacher and continue growing in my content area!”

Despite qualifying for state for the first time during the 2020 season, it is now the expectation, not the exception, the dance team will make it out of sectionals and on to the state tournament. “We fell short of our expectations last season, and this season we have come out much more competitive and focused,” says Amelia. Building on the tradition of prior teams, Amelia and her teammates are hoping they can help set a new standard where the expectation will be that Oswego East is earning a state trophy each season.

Amelia and Marissa will continue having high expectations for themselves and their teammates as they move into the competitive season and work to refine their routine for state competition. As someone entrusted to lead her classmates, Amelia advises future Wolves on how they can be servant leaders by saying, “High school can be difficult to adapt to as a freshman, so you want to do the best you can to be the person others want to be around and always be that kind and friendly face,” says Amelia.