Alyssa

Before enrolling at Howard Community College (HCC), Alyssa McKay (she/her) was more accustomed to liturgical or praise dancing, where dancers perform a mix of ballet, modern and jazz routines before churchgoers. 

“My family couldn’t afford dance classes, so I danced at church,” said Alyssa.

Church was the only haven for Alyssa, growing up in a tough East Baltimore neighborhood seized with drugs and crime.

“There were so many times I heard gunshots coming from outside,” she explained. 

Since Alyssa was well-versed in the studies that show children living in violent urban neighborhoods can experience the effects of PTSD, she learned to release trauma through dance. But it was not until a co-worker encouraged her to enroll in the HCC dance program that she could imagine affording to be on a larger stage. 

“When I first started at HCC, my funding was through loans because I didn’t have enough to pay for tuition,” said Alyssa. “This year, I got a scholarship through the honors program, the Ava Anderson scholarship for dance and a Baltimore City grant that paid for the entire semester.”

During the 2023 spring semester, guest choreographers selected Alyssa to perform for the annual dance company production. As butterflies fluttered in her stomach and the palms of her hands grew clammy, she got the signal that it was time to “break a leg.” Over 100 audience members sat in seats that surround the stage of The Rouse Company Foundation Studio Theater at HCC’s Horowitz Center, allowing for a more intimate, interactive production. The sold-out show featured an hour of continuous dancing with five distinct dances, which was Alyssa’s first experience dancing professionally.

“I thank HCC for offering the training, teaching, and the atmosphere in the dance studios, which can cost a lot of money elsewhere,” said Alyssa. “It has been humbling and rewarding to have instructors who meet you where you are and push you to go forward.” 

After graduation, Alyssa plans to transfer to UMBC’s dance program and open non-profit dance studios in Baltimore for other girls who may need a little push and praise to survive.