If you’ve been to a JV football or basketball game, you’ve probably noticed our extremely talented JV Poms team performing at halftime. The girls twirl and smile as the crowd admires them, but getting lost in the intricate performances may hinder you from noticing one very important asset to the team: freshman Nadiya Choi.

Nothing stopped Nadiya from following her passion for dance, not even the fact that she has a severe hearing impairment, according to her doctors.

“It’s hard sometimes because I can’t hear the music well. I usually watch someone else on the team to make sure I’m dancing at the right time, and I feel the vibrations coming from the music on the floor. Timing is very important,” said Nadiya, who has been practicing ballet and different forms of dance since she was five years old. She remembers seeing ballet dancers and thinking “I want to do this.”

For Nadiya, dancing is her passion and she believes that everyone has challenges to overcome–some big, some small. Her positive outlook on life is something to be admired, and she gives her parents full credit for it.

“They have always been very supportive. They’ve taught me that attitude is everything, and you should take every opportunity you get, because you might fall in love with it,” she said.

Not only has Nadiya had support from her parents, but she has also had support from an interpreter who has been with her since 2^nd grade, Terri Chapp. The pair walk the halls of Niles West together every day; they sign together, spend time outside of school together, and Nadiya has declared Ms. Chapp one of her best friends.

Chapp came across Nadiya through Low Instance Cooperative Agreement, or LICA, which is a facility in which deaf or hearing impaired students are paired with an interpreter. Chapp has been signing for an impressive 37 years. As for her relationship with Nadiya, Chapp says that Nadiya is extremely kind, talented, and bright, and she admires the fact that Nadiya does not limit herself.

The list doesn’t end there. The JV pommers are like a family to Nadiya. One girl in particular, Adrianna Daskalopoulos, has been by Nadiya’s side since 1st grade. Adrianna and Nadiya attended Park View junior high together and have been dancing their whole lives.

“It’s really easy for us to bond because we’re in Poms and Orchesis together. Communicating isn’t hard because she can read lips and I try my best to sign. She’s just an overall good person,” Daskalopoulos said.

Poms coaches, Kristen Davison and Diana Beckman, give Nadiya lots of praise as well.

“She’s a very good dancer, and she has beautiful body alignment as well as good technique,” Davison said

The coaches have been surprised and pleased at how well Nadiya picks up the material, and how dedicated she is.

“She takes an active role in helping out, and she really gives 110%,” Beckman said

Nadiya is an example for everyone who has a passion or a goal that may prove to be difficult to accomplish.

“You shouldn’t let a disability stop you from following your dreams. Passion is drive,” she said.