Marcel Mejia

I chose to come to Mason simply because of the fact that it was the perfect fit. I could feel it in my bones the first day I visited. The campus, the dance studios, the program just clicked with who I was at the time in a way that I’m positive I didn’t feel anywhere else I’d visited.

Scholarships have impacted my life immensely due to the fact that I don’t have to worry nearly as much as some of my colleagues about having to deal with the student loan crisis facing the country today. It’s also one of those gifts that I’ll admit I wasn’t mature enough to fully appreciate in my first years at Mason. One of the major lessons I learned at Mason is that I had absolutely no room to squander my time while under the influence of such major financial support. The scholarship pushed me to work hard every day because I needed to show that I was worthy of the opportunity, and I feel like that in turn taught me to work hard period, no excuses.

Since graduating May of 2019 I have been touring with Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal as a full-time company member. The company is world-renowned and has a tour schedule more active than anything I’ve ever been a part of. Integrating into the company was fast; I had three days to learn the show we currently perform. It was a lot all at once, but I never that felt that I was ill prepared, primarily because of how much knowledge I felt I’d gathered while at my time at Mason.