The Purdue Irish Dance Team started with something simple: I missed dancing.​

 

I stopped Irish dancing after my freshman year of high school, but I never stopped loving it. When I came to Purdue University in the fall of 2020, campus felt uncertain and disconnected because of COVID restrictions. By the time things began reopening, I wasn't overly excited to join clubs just for the sake of being involved. I wanted something that truly lit me up again. And Irish dance did!​

 

Over winter break in 2020, I reached out to Zack Warshaw and Rory Beglane from the College Irish Dance Association, who generously helped me draft the original constitution and navigate the process of becoming an official student organization. Shortly after, I submitted the proposal to Purdue Student Organizations. With a requirement of three committed members to gain official status, I recruited (and maybe gently forced) a few of my high school friends to say they were interested. At the same time, I started searching for dancers on campus with Irish dance experience. Our very first members were Molly Delaney (McNulty School of Irish Dance), Sonia Estrada (Cashel Academy), and Morgan Wetzel. They took a chance on something that didn't fully exist yet, and I'll always be grateful for that.​

 

One of the biggest turning points was reconnecting with my former competitor, Sadie Bunting. Sadie brought consistency, choreography, and vision. As an active teacher at Trinity and someone working toward her TCRG, she helped build the technical foundation of our program and pushed us to think beyond "a club."​

 

What started as me missing a piece of my identity quickly became a team, a support system, and something far bigger than I imagined. In our first year, we grew from four dancers into a competitive, driven, and close-knit community.The Purdue Irish Dance Team exists because I missed dancing - but it continues because of the people who chose to build it with me. And that part has been even more meaningful than I ever expected.