As little children, we often had hobbies that would only interest us for only a little amount of time, but as 2-year-old Cara Haugh first stepped her little feet on the dance floor, she knew that she would remain dancing on the stage for a significant amount of her life. Senior, Cara Haugh, was a small toddler when her dance journey began. 

“I started dancing when I was two, so I’ve been dancing for almost 16 years…I started in the studio for most of my years…then I transferred to actually doing Orchesis at the high school for two years, then I joined the dance team,” Haugh said. 

Haugh’s commitment with the sport kept her busy and even carried through during her middle school years. 

“It started getting more serious towards fifth grade and middle school because I was actually given the option to go into more sports or do musicals…I wanted to do both…And then I got the chance to be a dancer in the musical so then that’s definitely when I started to take it more seriously…And then high school happened, and that became one of my main priorities,” Haugh said. 

Now, as teenagers, oftentimes, our extracurriculars can get in the way with our educational performance in school. Having to focus on your subjects, while performing on stage, or reaching a new personal goal on the track, can be difficult to balance. But, with Haugh, she began to seek a way to challenge herself with her extracurriculars after her sophomore year while being a full time student in school. 

“I decided to try out for something more, that would push me more…and that was the dance team. That was definitely difficult over quarantine because we didn’t know if it was going to happen, but it continued and it went really well. And then senior year, I only did it through the football season, and overall that was good as well,” Haugh said. 

When it comes to balancing many activities as a young teenager, it can be a workload for someone so young. But, there will always be a figure in your life that will appreciate your passions as much as you and who will always be your number one fan. With Haugh, that figure was her mother. 

“My favorite part throughout the years was just watching her gain confidence in herself, and just how much she enjoyed it. She had such a passion and that was one place that I saw her confidence shine…It always made me so happy to see her that confident,” Michelle Haugh, mother of Haugh, said. 

But, as the hustle and bustle of growing up into adulthood approaches, bigger decisions have to be made when it comes to focusing on your main priorities while also working on your own personal goals. It will come to a point where focusing on your future will be your main priority. 

“I made school my main priority and trying to figure out college, it wasn’t really anything to do with the team, more so my personal goals,” Haugh said. 

For Haugh, having to leave such a significant part of your life behind to begin a new chapter can be very difficult, but there will always be somebody or something that will support your decision in the long run. With Haugh, not only was her mother her number one fan, but also her biggest supporter. 

“Cara has always been the kind of person to try new things. When she decided to stop, I’d already seen how the passion was starting to change a little bit and how she was ready to make a different choice for extra curricular activities. So, I was very supportive of her in making that decision,” Michelle Haugh, mother of Haugh, said. 

But, even with the casualties of having to leave behind a big part of your life, there will always be something that you can take away from your experiences. Haugh has made lifelong friends and has found something that she could possibly continue on as she enters a new chapter of her life. Along with the lifelong memories, the support she has gained from her peers and especially her mother will always live deep in her heart. 

So, if there is ever a situation where you feel that you have to leave a big part of your life to start a new chapter, staying confident and trusting your gut will be of great help in the long run. 

“Be confident in your decisions, really weigh your pros and cons and be excited about your next chapter,” Mother of Haugh, said.