2024 Recipient: Andrea Valentini

Hello! My name is Andrea Valentini. I graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 2022 with a BA in Dance, a BA in Honors Anthropology, and minors in Digital Art and Economics. I received alternate candidate status from the 2022 Fulbright cycle for Trinity Laban’s master’s program in dance science in the UK. I have been a dancer for 20 years and I am deeply passionate about combining my creative background with my analytical mindset. I am working towards becoming a physical therapist for dancers. I have been a Dance Science researcher in Dr. Kelli Sharp’s lab for 4 years and have conducted four fully-funded original projects centering around health and wellness for collegiate dancers. I recently traveled to Ireland to present my research at the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science annual conference. My research was honored at the Hamilton Symposium for Dance Wellness as well. I work as the Continuing Education Coordinator for StretchLab in Foothill Ranch, where I help my fellow stretch practitioners enhance their expertise and provide better stretches for their clients. I also work as a Physical Therapy Aide where I help guide patients through rehabilitative exercise programs and assist physical therapists with their documentation.