Kailey Tomas Awarded Aspire2STEAM Scholarship

Aspiring professional dancer and teacher learns life lessons through dance

DES MOINES, IOWA, UNITED STATES, October 15, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “Having two close cousins both with long careers in dance as performers, choreographers, artistic directors, and university educators, I’ve seen how dance can build strong communities,” said Cheryl O’Donoghue, CEO at Aspire2STEAM.org. “It’s an extraordinary art form that promotes creativity, critical thinking, and healthy minds and bodies. Plus, it has the power to connect people to one another and elevate the human experience and that is exactly what Kailey Tomas aspires to achieve as a professional dancer and teacher.”

Kailey Tomas is the newest scholarship recipient from Aspire2STEAM, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to providing mentoring and scholarships to overlooked and underserved young women and girls interested in pursuing careers in STEAM. Kailey graduated from Warren High School in Downey, California, in 2016 and transferred to California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) from Long Beach City College in Fall 2020.

“I would not be who I am today if I did not have dance,” said Kailey Tomas. “I have been passionate about dance since I was six years old and when I learned there was a degree in the arts for me, I knew it was my calling.” Kailey began her schoolwork at CSUDH as a theatre major; the school did not have a dance program until Fall 2021. Kailey recently switched majors and will be one of the first students at CSUDH to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. She is also a member of the CSUDH dance team.

With her degree, Kailey aspires to perform professionally as a dancer and teach younger dancers with a special interest in teaching high school students. “I want to teach dancers why the arts are so important,” she said. “I believe you can find yourself and gain confidence in the arts along with people skills and leadership abilities.”

Kailey has always enjoyed working with others and excels in team endeavors. She spent 12 years as a Girl Scout, starting in kindergarten as a Daisy and finishing her senior year as an Ambassador. During her time as a Girl Scout, she received both the Bronze Award and the Silver Award—two of the highest honors a Girl Scout can achieve for work in tackling pressing issues within the community to make a real difference. Kailey was also a cheerleader throughout high school and was recognized by her cheer squad with a VIP award for always being ready to jump in to fill any position or routine and help her teammates.

Kailey believes that when you’re on a team, every position is important—a point she shares with the young dancers she teaches at Santa Fe Springs Dance Center where she has been an instructor since 2018. In addition to teaching five classes at the dance center in ballet, hip hop, and jazz, Kailey works at Los Cerritos Center at Aerie and is an in-store influencer for the brand American Eagle.

ABOUT…

Aspire2STEAM.org is a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We provide scholarships and mentoring to young women and girls who are working hard—aspiring—to achieve careers that require education in science, tech, engineering, the arts, or math…and they could really use a hand up over the incredible barriers of student debt and rising education costs, and the real, ever-present opportunity barriers that keep them out of most male-dominated industries. These young women are doing their part, let’s help them by doing ours.

Donate now. Your kindness is a catalyst for change and empowerment for the young women and girls we serve.

Cheryl O'Donoghue
Aspire2STEAM
+1 630-253-8861
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Kailey Tomas, Aspire2STEAM Scholarship Recipient