The best advice I ever received came from my mom. I was struggling emotionally because I had injured my arm — which was in a cast — and I was panicking that I would not be able to dance at the next week’s game. I retreated to my bedroom and cried until my mom called me downstairs. She said, “Even if you feel like the world is over, use that to your advantage and don’t give up.” Hearing her words encouraged me to push past my injury and return to my room to practice the dance routine, even with that cast on my arm.

Later that week, we Raiderettes performed successfully at half-time. After the game, I thanked my mom for pushing me to do my best. We celebrated the victory at La Huerta’s Mexican Restaurant. I ended up dancing six more times with my arm in a cast. That experience not only helped me be a better person but a better teammate and dancer. It seemed like I wore that cast for sixty years, but once it finally came off, I was over the moon to be able to dance without it! To this day, I keep my mom’s advice with me as a reminder to never give up.