For Aimee Rosen, choosing to dance competitively in college was an easy decision.

Having danced since the age of three, the recent Wright City graduate knew she was not ready to let go of her passion just yet. 

“I love dance and I didn’t want to leave it behind when I went to college,” Rosen said. 

That lifelong dedication culminated on May 13, when Rosen signed her official letter of intent to continue her dance career at Central Methodist University. 

While she did receive another offer from William Woods University, Central Methodist had the “hometown” feeling Rosen was looking for. 

“It’s not too big and that’s the type of college that I wanted,” she said. “It’s the type of place where the professors know you by name.” 

Her journey to Central Methodist began at a recruitment clinic. Despite feeling she could have performed better, Rosen followed up with an email to the coach to ask what she needed to do for tryouts. 

The reply was better than she had expected.

“He told me that he thought I would be a great fit for the team and offered me a spot on the team,” Rosen said. 

Before committing to the Eagles, Rosen was a member of the Wright City Royal Line dance team and danced with Dance Variations for 12 years. 

Some of her favorite highlights were placing second in Division Two Jazz at the Missouri Dance Team Association State Competition and finishing 10th at the Fort Zumwalt North Dance Competition. 

Rosen credits several mentors and supporters for helping her reach this milestone, including Taylor Dougan, Veronica Edwards, Angie Mirth, Nicole Pruitt, Vickie Creech and Jesse Rosen.

As Rosen gears up for Fayette, she welcomes the new chapter of her life with optimism. 

“I hope to create new memories, make new friends and gain new experiences that I haven’t had before,” Rosen said. 

Rosen plans to major in physical therapy assistant and occupational therapy assistant at CMU.