Senior Alaina Heesacker took the crown as Ms. NDA, winning the annual Academy Awards talent show before a full house on December 2.

“When I first found out I was in the Academy Awards, I knew I needed to showcase a talent of mine that I was good at and felt comfortable performing on stage. For me, that talent was dancing,” said Heesacker.

The senior wowed the judges and the crowd with her choreography, incorporation of Eminem and her “rolling” intro video.

“I have always wanted to choreograph my own dance routine, and this opportunity allowed me to do that for both myself and my friends in the act. I wanted to do something that was original that also spread a funny yet positive message that could be understood and remembered by everyone.”

Heesacker had been “brainstorming a possible intro video since last year’s show” in hopes of being in the competition her senior year. The “rolling” intro idea came to her during a dream after she found out she was in the show.

“I knew I could connect my intro and my talent through incorporating the Eminem theme, but I wanted to keep my ideas secretive, so I did not tell anyone what my video or act was until they saw it at the show.”

Heesacker got her idea approved right away to ensure she had the entire month of November to prepare. The choreography, video and music editing was done by Heesacker herself.

“I wanted to make sure I had enough time to properly do each aspect well and also give my backup dancers enough time to practice the dance.”

Heesacker had no hesitation about leaving her name in the voting, as she always wanted to be in the show.

“My biggest takeaway from this experience is that when you work hard, lead with positivity, and stay on top of things, good things can happen. Being efficient, respectful, and considerate to others is critical to both your execution of your performance and the enjoyment of the experience overall. It is also important to remember to have fun during the performance and be grateful to those who want to help you succeed,” she said.

Many people were responsible for both the success of Heesacker’s performance and the show overall. Heesacker is thankful for her dance crew, the teachers and the tech crew who were involved in “putting on an amazing and intricate show.” Heesacker is also grateful for her rampeteer, Tommy Chosa.

“He was a fabulous hype man and friend who was dedicated to helping me execute any ideas I had for the show. Not to mention, he dyed his hair to become The Real Slim Shady himself. I could not have done this show without him.”

Over the course of her four years of high school, Heesacker has always attended the Academy Awards. She commented it is one of her “favorite parts of going to NDA because no other school puts on such a well done and elaborate show.”

Ms. NDA has been a competitive dancer for sixteen years, which made her confident in being able to do her own choreography and showcase her love for dance.

She plans on studying International Business and Affairs and minoring in Spanish at a university next fall.

“I am not sure which college I will pursue my major in, but I know that I want to study abroad and hopefully pursue my business career through traveling the world,” said the senior.