I'm Karen Thompson Wayne State College class of 2017. So I own a dance studio, I've owned it for five years, we're currently headed into our fifth fall season, I'm really excited about where we've come. We've actually transferred to a new place here. So this is our second location, we started in a small little backroom of a coffee shop. So it's really cool to see this, see where we are now. Along with that, I spend most of my time here, but along with that I do model at a boutique every Tuesday. I help them out. And that's really fun to be a part of a small business. It's also kind of on its way up.
Along with that I create content for brands that align with usually health and fitness, dance, choreography, anything regarding beauty and hair, I love love all things girly. So the biggest motivator in this dance studio career would be the kids. I mean, they are the reason why I do what I do. The reason I sacrifice certain things, it's all just super, super fun. They're a great energy to be around. There's a lot that I could say about Wayne State, I came here and the professor's just fostered whatever I had inside of me and the small class sizes, like I said, held me accountable.
I just was able to do a lot and get involved in the dance community here. But all of that prepared me for the trajectory of where I'm at now. Absolutely. It really turned my life around. And I don't think that if it was for the professor's, the community, the friends that I made, if I would have not had all of that, I don't think I would be here right now. I mean, the reason that I have the Wayne Dance Company is because of Wayne State College. As far as my entrepreneurial side, I would love to create more places to dance. Something that encapsulates all the talents that I can give. You can hire me for, you know, modeling, public speaking, choreography, things like that. The biggest piece of advice that I have is find what you're good at. Try to create a business around it, and always, always have a side hustle. That's the best way to foster your creativity. Figure out the next step. Maybe that side hustle will be a full fledged business one day, you never know. But never stop dreaming. Never stop creating. Just keep learning, keep growing. Keep educating yourself.
