My mom didn’t play favorites. She was kind and giving and wonderful to everyone who graced her presence. She never pushed me, nor put me front and ce… - Abby Lee Miller

That fall, when everyone was doing back-to-school shopping, I couldn’t have cared less about clothes, and classes, and football games. I was totally consumed with going back to dancing school and my plans for the future.

My days were filled with U.S. history and algebra. My nights were spent with history of movement and petite allegros. I might have been your average student during my typical school day, but after school, I was quickly becoming a master teacher. While my friends were looking for a future career in the guidance counselor’s office, I was proving to my colleagues that I had already found my true vocation.

You have to want it 110 percent. You have to eat, sleep, and breathe your passion, and fight for perfection every step of the way.