“I am so thankful for all the support The Wooden Floor gave me during my time as a dancer and in college. They taught me the value of giving back to a community and inspired me to do the same, which is why it’s important for me to be involved in their Alumni Professional Network and in any other way I can. I was happy to lead a college tour of Smith College for the young girls at The Wooden Floor because I know the value of both leaving California to seek higher education and that of a women’s college, especially for women in STEM. A big part of why I am choosing to teach now that I’ve graduated from Smith with my bachelor’s degree in biology before I start my master’s degree in nursing is because I want to encourage young girls to pursue careers in STEM. I would be happy for students at The Wooden Floor who choose to do the same.” – Emma, Alumna, The Wooden Floor Class of 2017
The Wooden Floor’s Alumni Professional Network began in 2018 to connect with our alumni across the nation during their college years and upon graduation. Emma graduated from Smith College in May of 2021. While attending there, she minored in Arabic to be more effective in her volunteer work focusing on refugees and young children. Emma will attend Columbia University’s Master’s Direct Entry program in nursing in June 2022 and will spend the next year working as an elementary STEM teacher at a charter school in Harlem. Her dream is to continue her education to get her doctorate in nursing to become a nurse practitioner. She actively seeks ways to give back to her community in a medical capacity because, “healthcare is often very inaccessible for many and was for me growing up.”
Founded in 1983, The Wooden Floor is one of the foremost creative youth development nonprofit organizations in the country. We transform the lives of young people in low-income communities through the power of dance and access to higher education. In Orange County, and through national licensed partners, we use a long-term approach grounded in exploratory dance education to foster the confidence and gifts within each child to innovate, communicate, and collaborate – skills necessary for success in school and in life. 100 percent of students who graduate from The Wooden Floor immediately enroll in higher education. Our students become change agents and beacons of hope within their own families, their neighborhoods, our community, and our world.