Written by Shanna Kirkpatrick, Chara Founder
9.15.2023
The Value of Positive Mentors
There are many women who have had a tremendous impact on my life—as mentors and role models, teachers and guides. Some of them I’ve known since childhood; others I met as an adult. This summer, I took time to connect with one of them: Stacey Wilms, owner of Stacey’s Dance Studio in Kingwood.
I was fifteen years old when I started working for Ms. Stacey (yes, I still prefer to call her that!). Each year as a high schooler, I had the option to attend public school, but Ms. Stacey was one of the reasons I chose not to pursue that pathway. Instead, I attended dual credit classes at the local community college in the afternoons and took numerous dance classes at my home studio in the evenings. This allowed me to be mentored by Ms. Stacey while working with her in the mornings, assisting preschool classes and cleaning her studio.
I learned a great deal about hard work under Ms. Stacey’s caring eye. She taught me how to keep “littles” engaged throughout class and what it looked like to speak conscientiously to parents. She showed me that you could balance being a mom and a business owner, and that dance was just as much about community and raising kids to be great adults as it was training the next member of the high school drill team. I remember the diligence in which I would peel Tootsie Rolls and DumDums off the studio floor while cleaning each morning because I wanted to do my best for Ms. Stacey. I am sure I missed a few!
With her work ethic, high standards, and compassion, Ms. Stacey showed me that it was possible to raise excellent dancers and show appreciation to your employees. She demonstrated what it looked like to provide amazing service, act in selflessness, and be firm yet kind. Through her, I saw a woman obeying God’s career calling on her life while also being an amazing mom.
A couple months ago, as Ms. Stacey and I caught up over lunch and I toured her new studio, it was clear to me just how influential she was in my life—and how much she continues to positively influence her staff and students today. Ms. Stacey has shown me over and over again what it means to trust the Lord and be obedient to Him in all decisions. I was in awe of her as a teen, and I am still in awe now.
Moms and grandmothers are the foundational influences in a girl’s life; there’s no doubt about that, and I am blessed to have that solid family foundation. But now as a parent, I can see how strengthened we are as parents when our children have other like-minded adults in their life. These are the role models who help seal in the values we strive to teach at home: hard work, resilience, kindness, humility … the list goes on and on!
At Chara, we consider our dance instructors to be much more than teachers—they are mentors too. This is just one of many reasons we are so selective in our hiring process. “More Than Just Great Dancing!” isn’t just something we say, it’s something we do. While we are all human, and sometimes we miss the mark, we strive to give our students what Ms. Stacey gave me: confidence and surety in their purpose; an example of love, faith, and joy..
I hope you will take time this week to talk with your dancer about the important mentors in their life. Share with them how special it is that their beliefs are affirmed by these caring adults, these people who help develop their skills and expand their perspectives. The wisdom that a mentor provides can be the catalyst to our next steps in life. I’ll be forever grateful to Ms. Stacey for encouraging mine!
