An unexpected
path to purpose.
Every detour, every hard pivot, every moment of starting over — all of it led here. And looking back, it couldn't have happened any other way.
Before I Had Words for It
My story started in China. I was adopted young, and long before I understood what that meant, it was already shaping me. It taught me about belonging, about identity, and about what it feels like to navigate something big before you have the words for it. That's exactly why I want to work with children — because I know what it's like to need someone who just gets it.
Sixteen Years at the Barre
I started ballet at age four. Eight years at a conservatory, five at a Russian academy, then pre-professional training in Dallas and New York City at the Joffrey Ballet School. Sixteen years of showing up, failing, and getting back up — until something difficult becomes something beautiful.
Choosing a New Stage
Leaving ballet — the thing I'd given everything to — was one of the hardest decisions of my life. But it was the most honest. I chose what was actually true for me: a lifelong pull toward children and a burning curiosity about how they grow. Walking away was the bravest thing I ever did.
Healing Led Me Here
Before pursuing a child development degree, there was a simpler drive: I just wanted to help people. I've always stuck up for the underdog, always felt called toward something bigger than myself. But it wasn't until I began doing the real work of healing my inner self that a love for children grew — quietly, undeniably — into a calling. I didn't go looking for this path. I had to become myself first, and then I found it.
A New Path Forward
I'm pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Child Development with a Mental Health emphasis from Texas Woman's University — working toward becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with a specialization in children, adolescents, trauma, and play therapy. One day I plan to own my own private practice. Every course, every experience, and every moment of growth is shaping the therapist I'm becoming.