If you’ve ever been to a UIC Flames Basketball game, chances are you’ve seen this girl dancing around! Inna Tereshko is a sophomore, Pre-Nursing student who is extremely involved on campus. She is a UIC Flames Dancer, a member of the sorority Phi Sigma Sigma, as well as a dedicated nursing student. Inna is committed to working hard in order to have the best college experience she can!
HC (Her Campus): What piqued your interest in dancing? Did you dance as a child or in high school?
IT (Inna Tereshko): When I was younger, I fell in love with ice-skating, and alongside ice-skating I took Ballet and Ballroom, which sparked my passion for dance. I thought ballerinas were so beautiful and danced with such effortless grace. Yet, as I grew older, I felt like a more upbeat, sassy dance style fit me more, and so I got into Jazz. I was also on Poms in middle school and Poms and Orchesis in high school.
HC: In addition to being a UIC Flames Dancer, what else are you involved in?
IT: I am a member of Phi Sigma Sigma!
HC: Do you have any dance role models? If so, who and how did they inspire you?
IT: I am a big fan of Nika Kljun! She is a Slovenian dancer, mostly known for her hip hop, but she is also a beautiful jazz dancer. I love how diverse she is and I inspire to dance like her. On the UIC Dance Team we dance both Jazz and Hip-hop, but we have also done Pom, so I think it’s exciting when a dancer can switch off different styles and amaze their audiences.
HC: What’s your favorite move to bust out at a party?
IT: Hahaha, oh this is a fun one…honestly I don’t take myself seriously and start moving my body to the beat of the music and I guess whatever moves come out from that are my dance moves! I probably look like a goof majority of the time, especially because I always sing all the lyrics, but I love to have fun with the bass of the music, especially if my girls are around.
HC: Do you have any advice for any dancers out there?
IT: If you have the passion for dance, don’t be scared to put yourself out there! There’s always room for improvement for all dancers; new dance moves to learn, new styles, but if you enjoy it, then you have to chase your dreams until they become reality, don’t be afraid of rejection. Do yourself a favor and do what makes you happy!
HC: Summarize a day in the life of you?
IT: I wake up, 3 days of the week I volunteer at Stroger Hospital and Rush Hospital, then I head to class, and after I go to dance practice. On Thursdays I go to Chapter for my sorority after practice and then I sleep.
HC: What is the most difficult part about managing your time schedule?
IT: I love sleep…hahaha so I have to sacrifice sleep majority of the time to manage my schedule; but aside from that, I know I am a student first. I know I have to do school work, but I have a passion for dance, I love my sorority and volunteering, and I can’t let go of any of them, so I know that if I want to do what I love, I have to manage my time very well. I don’t really think about how busy I am until my friends point it out, but honestly I love being busy. No moment is wasted.
HC: Do you do any activities outside of UIC?
IT: Yes, I volunteer at Stroger Hospital in the NICU, PICU and Pediatrics Unit, and I also have an Internship at a NueroScience Lab at Rush Hospital. I aspire to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and I am forever grateful to have been blessed with these opportunities.
HC: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
IT: Hopefully, happy and fulfilled with good memories from my 20s and living the Cali Dream with my future husband and children :)
HC: What celebrity do you think you’d be best friends with?
IT: If I could, I would love to be best friends with Beyonce! She is someone I look up to and respect. She is such an inspirational and classy woman, and I think she would be a spontaneous and genuine friend I could talk to for hours, dance with, and splurge on food with.