ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ

This piece is part of our Senior Stories series, in which we highlight GU students throughout the year.

Name: Talia Frausto
Major: Computer Science and Computational Thinking and Dance
Hometown: Cheyenne, Wyoming

Outside the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ students were hula hooping.

What Talia Frausto, a high school senior at the time, didn’t realize is that a ballroom dance class was practicing partner work by using hula hoops to comply with COVID-19 social-distancing protocols. While this memory is now in the past, the impact of the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ dance program on Frausto is ever present and ongoing.

Upon entering ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ, Frausto was a computer science and computational thinking major with a minor in dance. But throughout her freshman year, the passion she had for dance in high school returned and her minor quickly changed into a major as she fell in love with dance all over again.

The ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ dance program welcomed Frausto with open arms and presented her with memorable opportunities she will take with her after graduation. Along with being an ambassador for the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Regional Recruitment Tour, Frausto was given the opportunity to perform in a TED Talk conference as well as study abroad with the dance program.

“These momentous experiences have helped me grow in my passion for dance,” Frausto says. “I hope to not only grow after college, but also help other little girls realize there are a lot of opportunities to enjoy dance without feeling like you have to compete with anyone.”

The ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ community is so important to Frausto that she has attempted to uplift, engage and give back as much as she can.

When she is not completing her computer science homework or dancing, Frausto is a student assistant in the dance department, a resident assistant in the Kennedy Apartments, the festival chair for the Association of Latin American Students and a professional representative for Career and Professional Development.

The dedicated double major has worked to make the most out of these positions by forging impactful relationships with her residents, coworkers and fellow students.

“Whether in class or in a club or in a job, you find your small little communities and somehow they all intertwine,” she says, reflecting on the connections she has made across her many roles.

When asked how she manages her time and still makes space for herself, Frausto’s response was simple: “All the things I do, I actually enjoy doing. When I go to work it's not like I’m going to work to do what I have to do to leave. I enjoy being at work because of the community I have made in each workplace”

Perhaps it is that simple – community makes a job feel worth doing.

After graduation, Frausto hopes to stay in the Pacific Northwest while combining both of her passions she discovered and cultivated at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ into her future career.

Ultimately, it is Frausto’s gratitude that shines through – gratitude for the opportunities, for the support, and most importantly, the communities.

“ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ helped me open up, become more of myself, find myself and explore who I want to be in the world.”