On the stage since she was a young girl, senior Gracie Walker has been dancing and performing her entire life. In sixth grade, she joined a professional dance company to work on her skills for a year until seventh grade. Then, she says she began to become more and more passionate and ultimately fell in love with dance.

Walker moved to Cedar Park from Florida a week before school started her sophomore year. Although the transition was hard at first, she says that it also brought her many different opportunities. 

“I had never moved from my childhood home in Florida before so the whole idea of Texas, specifically of the drill team, was completely foreign to me,” Walker said. “I am so thankful that I moved and was given the opportunities I have been given.”

While it was a big change to move almost across the country, Walker says that it taught her many skills.

“The transition matured me and has made me much more understanding and empathetic towards my teammates and toward people in general,” Walker said.

On her first day at Cedar Park, she met the Celebrities captain at the time, Mackenzie Lawerence. She says that after meeting her she thought that there was no way that she could fill her shoes or even be considered for a leadership position. Less than a year later, Walker was chosen to have the position of Second Lieutenant.

“I am still so honored to have served my junior and senior years as a line officer,” Walker said. “It is seriously an irreplaceable experience that I am continually grateful for: I got to have one year learning the ropes and leading the team and then another to continue to practice and perfect my leadership as the Captain.”

Walker had to quickly learn to balance out being in seven different honor societies and being on the Celebrities team.

“Holding an officer position and managing school work is definitely difficult at times but I love the challenge,” Walker said. “I have always tried to stay as organized as I can, but senioritis is definitely a struggle. I wouldn’t change anything about the workload or experience at all, though.”

Throughout her year of being Captain, Walker has said that she has learned numerous life lessons, one of them being that she has to choose her battles.

“Some situations just aren’t worth the time to get upset over, especially if it’s simply out of your control,” Walker said.

She has also learned the value of loving her teammates and leading them by example.

“Making someone feel valued positively translates into the entire team and that has ultimately been my goal this entire year as Captain,” Walker said.

Walker said she has taught herself to go with the flow to become a stronger leader.

“Even now as the year comes to a close, I’m so thankful I took the time to enjoy and laugh with my friends and just go with the twists and turns that this year brought,” Walker said.

Walker plans on attending Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama in the fall, and is majoring in nursing and minoring in dance.

“It’s 12 hours away and I’m excited to be immersed in something completely new,” Walker said. “I can’t see myself stopping dance any time soon so I am super pumped to get involved in dance in college.”

Gallery • 6 Photos

Photo Courtesy of Gracie Walker