Quiet whispers and murmurs filled the crowd as they found their seats. The stage was dimmed, dark red curtains shielding it. She found her position, posing. She froze. The first note was cued. She took a breath, then started to dance.

Alaina Rossell (10) shined her way throughout high school due to her love of music. After being invited into chorale during her freshman year, to starring in lead KUSD productions – Rossell stole the spotlight.

“Dancing has taught me a lot about determination and perseverance,” Rossell said. “You have to be able to keep going through the difficult times in order to get to the good parts of it all. Theater has also taught me a lot about who I am as a person. I’m able to not only project the character; I’m able to add my own personality within these characters.”

Ever since she was three years old, Rossell danced. She danced through her emotions, her hardships, and even danced for fun. Besides dancing, Rossell was a part of chorale, theater, AP classes, DECA and honors classes.

“Being a part of [these activities] goes to show that I can push myself further,” Rossell said. “If I work hard enough, I can move up through the ranks and different levels. I just always ask myself ‘what amount of hard work do I have to do so I can keep moving and persevering through all these things?’”

Rossell based her day off on a strict schedule while participating in a plethora of activities along with daily schoolwork.

“I get six hours of sleep every night, and there’s always a schedule set for myself based on the day I have,” Rossell said. “I always make sure to get an hour of homework done every night, and go to bed at midnight. No matter what, I always wake up at six o’clock. It may not work for everybody, but it works for me to stay on track and keep myself motivated to do everything.”

For Rossell, perseverance was only an uphill battle. By the end of the 2021 year, Rossell hoped to be on full pointe, which is the tips of her toes, for ballet. Despite the hardships of her schoolwork and out-of-school activities, Rossell was inspired by many people to keep pushing through, but one person took the top spot; her mother.

“Every single night, my mom picks me up from dance,” Rossell said. “I’ll get into her car, and sometimes I’ll be happy, or sad, or frustrated. I’ll just tell her everything that I’ve been feeling, and everything that goes through my head. She just always knows what to say, and sometimes she’ll give me a hug and tell me that everything’s okay. I don’t know how she does it.”

Not only did Rossell capture the hearts of her audiences, she also inspired educators.

“She’s so dedicated and works so hard,” choir teacher John Choi said. “I saw her when she was a freshman and thought that she had to be in my choir. She’s young, she’s a leader- she’s gonna do great things someday.”