Not all schools are created equal and I.M. Terrell Academy in Fort Worth proves just that.
It's a place for students to grow in both STEM and the Visual and Performing Arts.
Student Julia Gatica was originally invited to Terrell for STEM, but her path changed along the way.
"This school has really opened my eyes about dance," she said.
Julia and her classmate Natalie Gonzales said what was once their weekend hobby is now so much more.
"I get to dance, but I get to be a part of the STEM classes, but I do get to do something I love," Gonzales said.
It all happens in Christen Ashley Reyes' classroom.
"They come with the cake already baked and I get to put the icing on it and the flavoring and the sprinkles," Reyes said.
As much as she loves dance, Reyes said it doesn't have to be her students focus.
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"I try to make this a safe space for my kids honoring my grandparents and my aunts and uncles," she said.
Long before I.M. Terrell became a safe place for science and arts, it was East Ninth Street Colored School, a safe place for students of color to learn in the 1800s.
"It's really surreal to know that my grandparents walked these halls," Reyes said.
Just outside her classroom is her family's past.
"The alumni association put my grandparents' gym clothing right there on the other side of my classroom," she said. "There's no coincidence I'm in this space."
The space where her grandparents dreamed for better is now where she hers students find their dreams -- whatever they are.
"Even though I don't know what I want to pursue as a profession, I know I want to keep dance with me all my life," Gonzales said.
A lesson they thank Ms. Reyes for and know she was sent here to pass along.
