From taking modern dance classes in second grade to becoming the senior captain of a McCallum dance team with a proud history exceeding a half century, senior Catherine Haikola has grown to become a vibrant leader in the dance community.
While she was named captain of Blue Brigade at the end of her junior year, dance has always been an integral part of Hakoila’s life.
“Dance has just become a way for me to express myself,” Haikola said. “You can feel things when you’re dancing. You feel more connected to your body and your mind because you have to think about so many things while you’re doing it.”
Haikola was eager to apply for a junior officer position and then her current position as captain at the end of her junior year because it was a clear way to become more involved in the program.
“I feel like I’ve always been kind of a leader and like to not just be in charge but be able to make a difference, and have a more concrete way to do so,” Haikola said. “It’s nice to have a role where I can be helpful.”
Blue Brigade Director Nancy Searle explained those innate leadership skills that prompted her and the team to select Haikola as their captain.
“Specifically, she loves to dance and so she makes it a priority,” Searle said. “The girls feel that they can go and talk to her, and she’s very approachable. When we’re at football games, she has their respect enough to where they’re going to listen to her. She just kind of gravitates toward the leadership roles, so I think it’s more natural for some than others, and for her, she is one of those natural leaders.”
Haikola says that since joining Blue Brigade as a freshman, she has grown as a dancer and a person.
“I’ve definitely gained a lot of confidence from having to perform in front of so many people, and when I became an officer, I got a lot more comfortable being able to speak up in front of people,” she said. “I definitely think way more about dances as a whole—I had to shift from my personal idea of what I’m doing versus thinking, ‘What’s everyone doing and how can we all be the same?’”
Now as the leader, Haikola has learned the challenge of giving constructive feedback to her teammates while still cultivating an encouraging and welcoming environment.
“I would say balancing positive feedback and negative feedback is something that I’ve really tried to work on and make sure that I do because it’s hard when you’re telling people that they’re not perfect all the time and if that’s the only thing that you’re saying, it can be counterproductive,” Haikola said.
This year, as well, Haikola has had an extra challenge along with her regular duties as captain due to a difficult knee injury that kept her from dancing for most of the football season.
“It was cool because I was able to just watch the dances, so it was nice to just observe, but it was definitely hard to come back from not dancing and expect to be just as good as I was before,” Haikola said. “I would say [one of the biggest challenges] is just being motivated every single day because it does get tiring at some points.”
Despite being out for several months, Searle said Haikola has amazingly remained an engaged and enthusiastic leader.
“It would have been really easy for her to just have a pity party and not want to be here, but we never had to remind her that this was her job,” Searle said. “It was never a question. She was always here; she was always putting the team first even though she knew that she couldn’t be out there with them, so we’ve been super impressed with her.”
Fellow officer, senior Smith Bohls, said Haikola has always been a positive and encouraging voice on the team despite the obstacles she has had to overcome.
“She is a great motivation to the team, and everyone looks up to her as a great leader,” Bohls said. “She is well respected and makes a positive environment for the team.”
Haikola said one of the most important parts of Blue Brigade has been bonding with the team, which she encourages incoming freshmen to prioritize as well.
“I would say [to new members] to just really enjoy your time on Blue Brigade—just become one class as a whole and be friends because it goes by really fast,” Haikola said.
Although she will not be pursuing dance professionally, Haikola said she has treasured her time in Blue Brigade and the supportive community she has found within it.
“Every year, there’s just a new group of people, and it’s so fun to meet so many new personalities,” Haikola said. “[My favorite part] has been all the amazing people I’ve met.”
