From a Professional Career to a Life Purpose

EI studied Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, and when I graduated, I was very interested in becoming a hospital dietitian. However, as soon as I began working as a nutrition technician — the first role students usually hold during their final year — I realized something was missing.

It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy what I was doing. It was that there was a barrier between my work and my true passion. My academic training was in nutrition and dietetics, but my passion had always been dance. What I have always wanted to share with people is that anything in life is possible if you truly desire it. In a hospital setting, I felt I couldn’t fully express that.

I worked in different hospitals and realized I wasn’t able to create a real connection or meaningful communication with patients. Everything was systematic, structured, and “efficient,” but it didn’t feel organic. I firmly believe that what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another.

When I understood this, I decided to dedicate myself completely to dance. I joined a dance company full-time and also began teaching full-time. Even though I had never stopped dancing or teaching, I felt the time had come to fully step into that path after years of performing in different countries. I discovered a strength and passion within me unlike anything I had felt before. It was incredible.

Dance is, essentially, medicine for my soul and the way I express myself, since I’m quite introverted. Teaching, on the other hand, is how I share that with others. And honestly, the way I share through teaching is something I can’t fully describe. It’s a moment when it stops being about me and becomes about you. That’s where real change in the world can happen.

Every day I keep learning how to become a better teacher — and most importantly, how not to cause harm, because dance is a very demanding profession. But knowing that I love what I do, and that I believe in every student I meet — far more than they imagine — is what makes me want to wake up each morning and do it all again.

Maybe your life purpose isn’t that far from your career or profession. But searching for it is worth more than a thousand lifetimes.