Break It Down Podcast
Willmar Cardettes- Alexa Vallejo
Mat interviews Willmar Cardette Alexa Vallejo. Alexa has been on the Willmar Cardette team since 7th grade. She talks about being a leader not only to the team but to the younger generation.
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- Broadcast on:
- 24 Sep 2024
- Audio Format:
- other
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[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Ooh, welcome to another episode of The Break it Down podcast. My name is Matthew Hanson. And today we have a Wilmer Cardet here. And her name is Alexa Vallejo. Alexa, how are you? I'm good, how are you? I'm well. So what made you interested in being a Cardet? It started a very, very long time ago. I started doing just for kicks first grade. Mm-hmm. And first day of practice, I kind of just fell right into my splits. Yeah. Had just had that love immediately and never stopped. Did someone inspire you to join dance? Or was it just something that you wanted to do for just for kicks? It was just something I wanted to do. It kind of came up at school. OK. So I thought, why not? OK. And then how long have you said, what grade were you when you did dance or just for kicks? I started just for kicks in first grade. First grade? Yep. And then every year you've been in it since. Yep. OK. I know we were talking before and you said you were a captain the seventh grade year. How much pressure was that being a captain in your seventh grade year? I wouldn't say it was a lot of pressure being in charge, but in the aspect of knowing that there was people looking up to you and having to do the best, be the best, that was pretty. Pretty tough. Yeah. Since you kind of brought that up, how did it adapt to you as being like that leader of not only the Cardette team, but also like the younger kids looking up to you? Honestly, it never really occurred to me that people genuinely looked up to me until about two years ago, I want to say. It was like, my coach pointed it out. And I've had multiple people tell me before, like, oh, these people look up to you. Like, you really need to be a leader. And I didn't see it until about two years ago. My coach told me, like, these girls want to be just like you. They see everything you're doing. And when they just clicked and it changed, like, everything. What was a specific event, or was it more of a just after a dance thing that she's like, yeah, they're looking up to you? It was after something had happened and I wasn't like in trouble. We were in a little conversation and she was basically just like, you need to fix it. You need to shape up because it's going to affect not just you but other people. And I started to take it more seriously. And I was like, okay, cool. Like, I have to take this seriously now. Yeah. How is it at home with, I know you've got a total of what, five of you guys? Yep. How is it with you kind of being the oldest kind of like wrangling up the pack? That is actually, I'd say, more fresher than dance wise. Why is that? Um, I just like, I don't know, being the oldest and being the sister is like, I have this constant need to have to protect everyone. And I guess it's like a lot of people like to call that like the mom in you, the mom trait. And I guess it's just, it's kind of hard because I want to be there for everyone and want everyone to come to me and it's like, I can't make certain decisions because they're going to look at it and be like, oh, she did that so it's okay. Yeah. And so it's like, I have to be the best at school, my sports, my chores, everything. Everything, yep, because the youngest is what? Nine. Nine. Nine. Just her nine. Just her nine. So it's a little bit of a gap because you're, you're 18 and now she's nine. So it's kind of like, all right, younger me is like, I want to like, have fun, but I can't go too much fun here. Yeah. Yeah, definitely finding that line where, oh, I want to have fun because you're my sister, you're my brother, but also this isn't okay finding that line is pretty hard. Yeah. Do you make it to all your, I know, your older brother Renee is what, two years younger than you? Thirteen months. Thirteen, oh, thirteen months younger than you. Do you make most of his events as well? Yes. Yep. Okay. Cool. And then you've got Destiny, who's also kind of like following your footsteps for just for kicks. How's that kind of like, coach her as well being that sister role? Honestly, it didn't start out very smoothly. It started out kind of rough because it was hard giving her critiques and her taking them as, I'm just trying to help you. Yeah. Instead of being like, oh, you're just my sister. Yeah. Like, you're mean. Yeah. Pretty hard, but recently it's a, these past couple months we started our practices for our homecoming dance and over the summer she's been pretty good at that and I think all it took really was a sit down and was like, hey, I'm just trying to help you. Like, I'm not trying to be mean, but I want the best for you. Yeah. And so that's been way better. Yeah. Um, so who did you get your like leadership skills and abilities from? Was it a specific coach? Was it mom and dad? I know it's, it's a weird question like, where did you get the like the leadership to be able to take like a group of people and lead them to where you need them to go? Um, honestly, I'd probably say my mom, she really is like, if we didn't have her wrong, we would be a mess. She keeps her heads on. Yeah. She kind of leads everything. She knows everything knows what we're supposed to be doing. Um, so you're in your senior year of high school. What is your plan post high school? Um, that recently I've actually been struggling with, but I think I've come to the decision to major in psychology. Okay. Um, I'm taking a psych class right now at the college here and I've always just, I don't know, I kind of had an interest in criminal justice for the longest time. And just recently, it's been a little like, I don't know if I want to do that or not. I don't know if it's for me. Um, and so when I started taking psychology in high school last year, it really sparked a love I didn't know I had and I'm taking it now at the college and it's going really well. So what made you gain that spark for psychology? Um, well I took the class and I truly think that it was the teacher I had. He was just amazing and he gave me an amazing experience to what psychology is and how it works. And I think without him, I would have still had that little interest, but with him, he just pushed it over. Yeah, he made it way better. So what, so you said that you were interested in criminal justice and then it's kind of like gone away. What made you interested in criminal justice? Um, honestly, I think it was all of the shows that I watched. Like, okay, well, yeah, it's part of the shows that I watched, but also I've seen like the negative perspective that has been set, like in society with all of the criminal justice fields and I think that why was hoping that I could make it different, probably not in the whole world, but here at least, you know, start somewhere and make a different image for a cop or whatever else that, wherever my mind would have went then, but made a different image for that person and those people. Are you going to school here in Wilmer or are you planning on going elsewhere? I plan to go somewhere else, but I'm not against staying here. Do they have a good Ridge, Ridge Runner has a good site class? Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah. And they have a really great criminology class. So their criminal justice field is really, really good. Um, that love hasn't exactly all gone away. So I've thought of maybe putting both of those into my option and doing a forensic psychologist so I could do psychology, but still be around the criminal justice field. Forensics. That would be, yeah. That would be a lot. I'm really sick. I'm guessing a lot of CSI watching. Oh, yeah. For sure. Wow. Cause I know I went to school here for criminal justice and it just wasn't for me, but like I said, it's being a cop and then going to Alec for skills and yeah, there's a lot beyond that one. Um, previously interviews I've done with people we've talked about like how the crowd has gotten you like, I was like, juiced up for the performance. Has there been one specific performance that you've had where you're like, Oh my God. This crowd is like shaking the core of the field right now for me like, I'm now nervous. Um, I think not last year's homecoming dance, but the year before that to my sophomore year. At my school dances kind of always just been like, no one really cares and genuinely that kind of sucks because a lot of us put a ton of work in, you know, that's hard, but we went out there and I'd never been that nervous before and I don't know why. I have no idea why. I think, I think now it's because my name was out there more and I knew more people and more people knew me. And so having them see me on the field in my zone, like seeing what I do is, it was different. Yeah. And, um, they had never cheered for dance the way that they did that day. So I was like, okay, this is different, this is different in a good way. Oh, yeah. But it made me nervous because like, what if I would have messed up? They would have known. Oh, yeah. Because they were looking at it. Well, that's the thing is the only you will know if you miss a little bit of something like, um, we talk about people, I'm like, the theater performance. They won't, the crowd won't know that you miss a line. Yeah. Only you will. Yep. But now you'd say you miss a move or something you will know they won't know. Yeah. So you said that was a homecoming of your sophomore year is this so many people or was it just that you said this everyone knowing who you are? Yeah. So like I've known you cause I've known your mom and dad for 10 years now. So I've known of you, but then people started talking. I've heard more people talk about you because of your dance and your leadership skills there. So what are you, what kind of like, are you more, um, concerned about like outside of like, I know we're talking about you possibly been in trouble before. Is it tougher on you now and like weighs more on your shoulders that more people are kind of like, okay, we know who this is. He's a leader of the car, that's like, is that more pressure on you? Yes. It would have definitely been easier if people didn't know who I was. I just don't know who I am. Let me be. No. Yeah. It's because when, I don't know, you know, when you know someone like you have a, you have certain expectations, you have a certain image of them. So to hear something different and to know something different, it can change that. Oh yeah. And so definitely them knowing me for dance and knowing I'm a good leader and then maybe hearing something else that's not so great. Yeah. Definitely is effective. They're also still young and like everyone has those young dumb moments where they go out and do something stupid, but it's how you kind of bounce back like, okay, I may have screwed up in the past, but here I am now. No, yeah, for sure. And actually that was a big thing for me over the summer, I was kind of, it was different from here, but it relates because I was struggling with like, it was my relationship with God and not, not in the sense that I was like, oh, I don't believe in God, I remember, but it was, will he forgive me for all of the things that I've done? So related to this, it's like the things that I have done or the things that I've been through whatever doesn't define me as a person and, you know, I mean, those things like getting trouble or whatever happened years ago, you know, and people grow and growth is a real thing. I wish some people would think that way more often. Are you part of the epic group here? Yes. Are you like a leader there? I'm a student leader there. Yeah. How long have you been doing that? Two, three years, maybe two, three. What makes that enjoyable? Really in general, all around just being in the presence over there is amazing. The people there really help, I don't think that I've ever felt that comfortable in a place with those, with people that I don't know. Yeah. I've obviously grown to know them over the years, but it's great and it's like not only are you encountering everything that's going on there, but you get to watch your friends and the kids younger than you do the same thing. Cool. Just trying to look over my notes real quick. Yeah, that's pretty much all I have. Do you have anything else you want to add about dance, about epic, about leadership skills? No, I don't think so. I know it's, I appreciate you coming on and that's why I kind of had you on because like I said, I know your parents and I know people are kind of interested in kind of like, okay, she's the leader of the cardettes, she's kind of a leader of the community now, so it's kind of cool to have you on being able to talk about both, like I said, the dance and being a leader there. So, appreciate you having her. Thanks Lexa.