My dance journey is intertwined with the challenges of my birth. It’s a part of what makes me CiCi. I began my life with resilience, my family’s prayers and a passionate heart to be a storyteller. I entered the world as a 27-week-old premature newborn, weighing a mere one pound and eleven ounces. Facing the challenges associated with prematurity, the doctors feared I would not survive. In the NICU,  I developed blood clots and was on a high-frequency oscillator, my lungs collapsed and the oscillator blew a hole in the lining of one of my lungs, resulting in emergency surgery to receive chest tubes. To this day, I still bear the scars reminding me that I am still here and want to live a purposeful life. 

 

Subsequently, I was diagnosed with profound-severe hearing loss. I have a Cochlear Implant on my left ear and a Phonak hearing aid on my right ear. Upon completing occupational and physical therapy, my parents enrolled me in gymnastics to enhance my gross motor skills. However, shortly after, I didn't return to gymnastics  due to frustration with an instructor who didn't engage with me because of my deafness—a sentiment my supportive parents understood. A close family member suggested dance as an alternative to continue developing my gross motor skills and auditory training, leading me to start dance classes at age four. I’ve been dance training ever since.

 

Over time, my passion for movement grew. Dance not only enhanced auditory training, it became a career aspiration. Center Of Creative Arts (COCA) is where my dance journey grew and I believed that it was possible for me to be a professional artist. COCA provided a supportive dance community. I remember my mother asking Ms. Lee Nolting whether COCA had ever taught a deaf student. With her big heart, she said just to bring me in and from then on I began training at COCA—where I had the privilege of training with renowned choreographers and networking with industry professionals—to participating in summer dance intensives at prestigious institutions that ultimately led me to Boston Conservatory at Berklee. I will  soon  graduate in May 2024 with a BFA in Dance.  I have performed at the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival under the direction of Antoine Hunter and his team, which solidified my belief in my ability to pursue my dreams. Encouraged by the unwavering support of my family, friends, and mentors, I consider dance my calling.