The Student news source for West Shore Junior/Senior High School

The Roar

The Student news source for West Shore Junior/Senior High School

The Roar

The Student news source for West Shore Junior/Senior High School

The Roar

Senior dances into ideal summer job

Senior Jennifer Garrido has always looked up to the instructors at Universal Dance Association camps that she attends with her fellow Purrfections dance team members each summer, and this summer she will be the instructor for other girls to look up to.

“I went there and auditioned with a lot of other college girls.” Garrido said. “Some of the girls were already UDA instructors just trying out again whereas I had no experience whatsoever.”

UDA instructors travel around to the different camps and teach high school dance teams new dance routines in which they usually perform throughout the school year. Instructors must be 18 years old in order to work at the camps, but they can tryout as 17-year-olds.

“I wasn’t even 18 when I tried out so I was definitely the youngest one there,” Garrido said. “They called me the day after my birthday to tell me I got it. My mom thinks it is because they had to wait until I was 18 to call me. But either way I was really surprised.”

Jennifer was one of the varsity dance team officers this year and the team’s only senior.

“At camp, we always look up to the UDA instructors as role models,” sophomore Keiran Sheridan said. ”They are the best of the best at dancing, and they are the sweetest people you will ever meet. Jennifer will be perfect for the job. As a team, we could not be more proud of her.”

Garrido will receive the necessary training and then will begin working at dance camps.

“UDA will fly me out to Alabama the day after graduation and they pay for my airfare, food and lodging.” Garrido said. “That’s when I am going to get trained, and I get to pick my camps after that.”
Garrido said the process of becoming an UDA instructor was very nerve-racking, and she even felt like she hadn’t gotten the job.

“I honestly put myself in a humble spot because I wasn’t expecting to get it at all.” Garrido said. “I accepted the fact that they hadn’t called me in two months, so I wasn’t going to get it. It ended up catching me by surprise one day when I got the call and now I am an UDA instructor, so it is awesome.”

By Lauren Youngson

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