Class of 2009

Since graduation; Valerie studied dance and received her Bachelors’ Degree in Idaho and is about to receive a second degree in dance. She currently resides in sunny Southern California and is thankful every day that she doesn’t have to see or deal with any snow. She is a professional dancer in Los Angeles and Orange County and has worked closely with some of the dance industry’s top artists; and choreographers like Ryan Heffington; Akram Kahn and Mike Esperanza. She has danced with The Assembly Dance Company; Carpool Dance Collective; Fuse Dance Company; Body Traffic; Szalt Dance Company and The Bastette Group in Los Angeles. She is currently with The Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group as a dancer with The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and Delusion productions. She has performed in a community art installation on the beach and at a music video release party for the band X.X.T. Her latest accomplishment is scaring Jeff Goldblum as a monster in an episode of The World According to Jeff Goldblum on Disney+ Valerie is also a dance teacher and choreographer and finds tremendous joy in setting a positive example for the rising generation. Valerie is very proud of the fact that she celebrates Halloween every day of the year and is happy to live in the spooky capital of the west coast. Valerie has a very fun job being a tour guide for Haunted Orange County year round. Valerie has been dancing since she could walk and dance was her focus all through high school. With hard work and dedication; she has been living her dream ever since.

Sarah graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Psychology from the University of Nevada. Sarah has been involved in the field of Student Affairs and has been a Resident Assistant representing the Residential Life, Housing, and Food Services Department for two years. She has also enjoyed her part-time job as a Student Worker in the Office for Prospective Students, working with recruitment for the University. Finally, she has volunteered as a Student Ambassador for three years, giving prospective students and their families tours of the campus. Sarah is applying to graduate school to study Higher Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies. She intends to complete a PhD and travel as much as possible. She has many favorite FALA memories. A couple include helping FALA organize one of their largest canned food drives creating the “Grand CANyon,” as well as participating in the search to bring author Sherman Alexie to FALA after being inspired by Mr. Paul’s class.

Update from Sumita: In the last couple years I moved back to my hometown Flagstaff, AZ from San Francisco, CA where my partner, Darius Mahmoudi (also previous FALA llama), and I attended law school. I spent the last year working locally in behavioral health and am now studying for the AZ bar exam 🙂 It’s wild being “an adult” in the town where I was raised! I love it and look forward to giving back to and being an advocate for my community.