Classmate Profile

Heather Miller, a 20-year-old San Jose State University student, has always held dancing close to her heart.

At the young age of three, she noticed her next-door neighbor leaving and coming back from dance practice and wished she could do the same.

It wasn’t long until she joined the Orange County Dance Center in hopes to satisfy her longing to become a dancer.

As she grew older, her passion grew stronger.

After spending so much time with the OCDC, she knew that she made a good choice in her decision to dance.

She continued to work harder as if every day was her last day dancing.

However, she knew she had to leave eventually to start higher education.

“It was hard leaving them because they were like my other family,” Miller said.

Miller had been dancing with them for 15 years.

When it was time for her to choose a major at San Jose State University, she decided to be reasonable and choose broadcast journalism because dance would be too competitive.

She may enjoy her undergraduate career, but it would be incredibly hard to make it in the world of dance.

Although dance is not her main focus at SJSU, it doesn’t stop her from finding other ways to do it.

Alpha Xi Delta, her sorority, has a philanthropy that allows her to show-off her talent for a good cause.

“Heather is a such a determined person,” Callie Miller, Heather’s mom, said. “Joining Alpha Xi Delta has really helped her grow into a great and strong woman.”

However, Miller had not always been comfortable with putting herself in the spotlight.

Without dance, she would not have the confidence she has today.

“When I’m dancing on stage, I can’t see the audience because the lights are shining on us,” Miller said.

“But when I danced on my high school’s dance team, we could actually see the people and their reactions.”

As well as studying broadcast journalism, she is still pushing on toward minoring in dance.

“Dancing is something that you can’t really lose,” Miller said. “Your passion will be with you your whole life.”

Her roommate and friend, Mary Knezovich, said that Miller is always smiling or dancing whenever she sees her.

Miller’s goal in life is to work with the NBC Today Show in New York and become a Radio City Rockette on the side.

“You might as well dream big,” Miller said.

Word of the Week #9

1. exonerate
2. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
3. "'All you have to do is come up with a lie that will exonerate both Christina and Cara, and then tell it under truth serum.'"
4. declare someone free from blame for a fault or wrongdoing, especially after due consideration of the case; verb
5. If Joe is innocent, the court will exonerate him.

Word of the Week #8

1. surreptitiously
2. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
3. "Afterward, when we all take our seats, I surreptitiously wipe my hands against my pants."
4. in a secretive manner; adverb
5. Jill surreptitiously snuck into her sister's room to take her leather jacket back.

Word of the Week #7

1. disparities
2. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
3. "As much as possible they try to avoid any huge disparities in intelligence, temperament, social background and age."
4. the conditions or facts of being unequal, as in age, rank, or degree; differences; noun
5. Although we have many disparities, our team bonded very well together.

Mystery Character

I am 5 feet 5 inches tall and weigh 108 pounds.

I have blue eyes and I wear makeup.

I used to have long brown hair, but I traded it for a pixie cut.

Sometimes I wear my hair as a mohawk or in tiny pigtails.

I don’t like to wear clothing but when I do, it is revealing and quite controversial.

One of my more popular outfits is my grey teddy bear leotard.

I sound a bit nasally when I speak.

Compared to other females, I have a low voice.

I like to stick out my tongue in pictures.

I have nineteen tattoos, but the majority of them are small in size.

I don’t wear my engagement ring anymore.

Word of the Week #6

1. detriment
2. Real Simple magazine
3. "While schoolkids get plenty of opportunities for hands-on enrichment during field trips and lab experiments, some adults tend to rely on passive, book-based learning, to their own detriment."
4. the state of being harmed or damaged; noun
5. Smoking is a detriment to your health.

Word of the Week #5

1. eke
2. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
3. "They didn't know what it was like to eke out life in a dead world, where the sun hung limp in the sky like a burned cinder."
4. manage to support oneself or make a living with difficulty; verb
5. They eke on, one working minimum wage and the other unemployed, and find gratefulness with support from friends.

Campus-Related News Story

The Student Union hosted the Student Appreciation Festival on Thursday in Quirke’s Meadow, the grassy area behind the Aquatic Center.

Although the festival was stated in their advertisements to begin at 11:30 a.m., students stood in line earlier with eagerness to receive their free items.

Before students were allowed in, an alternative and indie band started the party to pump students up.

While students rushed in, they were presented with a plethora of free items including chocolate milk, tampons and raffle tickets to concerts and to Disneyland.

However, they shortly realized there were more lines to wait in.

“I think it was a great way for students to spend some time between their classes and get free stuff,” said senior journalism major Rafael Ochoa. “But I feel that the lines were long and that discouraged people to come and participate.”

The various lines turned into a crowd very quickly.

Although there was a great turnout, some students didn’t think they should have to wait around.

“Student Appreciation Festival is fun,” said senior journalism major Christiana Cobb. “But in reality, they should be giving me my shirt in the mail because I paid for it.”

The special prizes were provided by the Spartan Bookstore.