Amiya Alexander

Amiya Alexander

12-year-old girl who founded her own 'Dance Studio on Wheels'
Country: USA

Content:
  1. Amya Alexander: A 12-year-old Entrepreneur and Dancer
  2. Amya's Mobile Dance Academy
  3. A Dream of Becoming a Doctor

Amya Alexander: A 12-year-old Entrepreneur and Dancer

Amya Alexander, a 12-year-old girl from Detroit, Michigan, has big dreams of becoming a dancer and a midwife. However, she is not waiting until adulthood to pursue her passions. In the middle of the night on September 6, 2008, Amya jumped out of bed to share her plan with her mother. "We live without a father, and I wanted to help my mom by starting my own business," she recalls. Amya dreamed of transforming a regular school bus into a mobile dance studio by painting it pink, adding a wooden door, ballet barre, and mirrors. The young entrepreneur planned to operate her dance academy in underprivileged areas of Detroit.

Amya's Mobile Dance Academy

Amya named her company "Amya's Mobile Dance Academy." She received the bus as a Christmas gift, and her mother spent $11,000 to purchase and refurbish it. Amya travels around the city, stopping at metro stations and schools to offer dance lessons to curious children. Driving the bus is Amya's great-uncle, who is thrilled to help his granddaughter instead of being bored during retirement.

At "Amya's Mobile Dance Academy," children learn various dance styles, including ballet, hip-hop, and tap. Amya not only teaches children how to dance but also encourages them to strive for success in school. Parents of her students admire the young girl's entrepreneurial spirit. Dance not only brings joy to children's lives but also helps combat the obesity epidemic spreading among Americans. "Every third child in America is overweight, and I want to change that. Dance can be one way to do it," says Amya.

A Dream of Becoming a Doctor

Amya's ultimate goal is to save money from her business and attend Harvard Medical School to study midwifery and gynecology. She has a passion for helping women bring new lives into the world and is not afraid of blood, having witnessed several births already. She dreams of witnessing a caesarean section one day. As a doctor, Amya plans to work abroad, inspired by her visits to her mother's home country, Jamaica, where she witnessed the shortcomings of healthcare systems in other countries. She hopes to make a difference in those areas. Amya looks up to renowned doctors like Dr. Ben Carson and Dr. Charles Drew and aspires to make a significant contribution to the field of medicine, just like them.

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