The civil crisis in Sierra Leone left scars of memories on the mind of many in Sierra Leone and around the globe. Michaela lost her brothers, Mom and Dad during the Sierra Leonean civil war. Michaela’s Dad was killed during the civil war and her Mom died as a result of having nothing to eat. Michaela was taken to an orphanage in Sierra Leone by her uncle. After Michaela’s uncle dropped her off at the orphanage, he turned his back on her and neither of her relatives kept in touch with her up to the time of her adoption.
At the orphanage, she was called names because of the way her skin looks. She has a skin condition called vitiligo- a spot or discoloration of the skin. She was called “a devil child,” “number 27.” She was always the last among the kids of 27 and got the last of everything. The care givers at the orphanage didn’t give adequate amount of food to Michaela, she didn’t get the best clothes, and she got the last choice of toys. In an interview with ABC News, Michaela said “In the orphanage, I found a magazine that had a ballet dancer on point with a pink tutu. I saved it, and I thought to myself if I ever got adopted, I wanted to become just like this.” Michaela dream came through when she got adopted at the age of 4 by a family from Pennsylvania, Charles and Elaine DePrince.
Michaela plans to return to Sierra Leone in the future not to reconnect with relatives who abandoned her but to start an art school to give opportunity to kids. Michaela is hardworking and full of determination and has overcome barriers and stereotypes such as teacher telling her that she does not have the right body type of a ballerina and that she was not going to make it. A teacher once told Michaela’s Mom “We do not put a lot of effort into black dancers because they get fat when they’re older and big boobs.” But with determination and hard work , Michaela defies the odds and today she is a sensation and inspiration to the world. A rising star, at 17 she made a showcase appearance in Johannesburg, South Africa and she got the world talking.
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Michaela DePrince on ABC News
Dancer Michaela DePrince is a star of the ballet stage, screen, and ‘DWTS’