A Letter From TAYB Alumnus & Harvard Student Javier Aranzales

To the donors/supporters of the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet,

I have just completed my freshman year at Harvard University, an experience and opportunity that takes my breath away every time I think about it and one that I firmly believe would not have been possible without the support from the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet, which took me in with open arms four years ago in my quest to explore the beauty of ballet. The TAYB opened up its doors to me and also the doors of the New World School of the Arts, which provided me with a background that set my Harvard application apart. For this, I will forever support the TAYB and the difference that it made in my life. I am currently writing from Trento, Italy where I am in the third week of an eight-week study abroad program in Mind, Brain, and Behavior, which was fully funded by a grant that I received from the Harvard Office of Career Services. After this trip, I will be back home in Miami for a week, making multiple trips to my home at the TAYB for ballet classes, before heading off to Shanghai, China as a member of Harvard’s Summit for Young Leaders in China where I will teach a seminar of Ballet and Modern Dance History in the United States, as well as Ballet and Hip-Hop extracurricular classes! Some highlights from this past year include traveling on a fully-funded trip to El Salvador during winter break as a member of Harvard’s Habitat for Humanity, traveling on a fully-funded trip to New Orleans during spring break with a group of freshman to carry out community service, diving into academics and uncovering a new level of intellectual vitality all while being a part of the community that has become a home with people who have become family: Harvard’s Class of 2016. I am currently thinking of pursuing Neurobiology and Global Health and Health Policy while exploring my interest in Government. This coming year, I will be mentoring a group of incoming freshmen as a Peer Advising Fellow, dancing with the Harvard Ballet Company, and exploring Health Education through Harvard’s branch of the Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children. I cannot thank you enough for your support towards the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet and consequently, your support towards me getting ahead in life and helping create a better life for myself and for my family.

With all the warmest wishes and gratitude,

Javier Aranzales