Biography
Brooke Thimmig is graduating with a BA in dance and departmental honors. While at the UW, Brooke performed in many dance concerts and served as a Dance Student Association officer, the Student Representative on the Department of Dance’s Diversity Committee, and the Peer Health Educator for the department. She also conducted dance science research about the applications of fascia for dance movement and injury prevention for her Dance Honors Thesis. Outside of the department, Brooke is the Director of Curriculum Development for Mental Health for Every Adolescent where she educates middle school and high school students across the U.S., India, and the U.A.E. about mental health. Brooke also co-founded Individuals Standing Against Interpersonal Violence and serves as the Head of Administration to combat interpersonal violence in Seattle through mutual aid and advocacy work. In her free time, Brooke works as an Emergency Medical Technician, and she hopes to serve her community as a physician in the future.
What is one of your favorite moments from your time with the Department of Dance?
It's so hard to pick a favorite moment so I'll name a few: singing and dancing to music in the dressing room while getting ready with everyone before a concert, having lunch between classes with friends in the hallway by the fridge, visiting the cadaver lab in Anatomy for Dance, DSA mentor/mentee dates, stopping to chat with people in the basement before and after class, and dancing in Meany with my favorite people every week.
Why did you choose to Major in dance?
After high school, I thought that the dance chapter of my life was over, and I was going to take my pre-med classes, an occasional ballet class for fun, and major in biology. However, my plans changed freshman year when I decided to audition for the Department of Dance’s annual Faculty Dance Concert. The next thing I knew, I was cast in the show, dancing and rehearsing again, and making life-long friends. I found an amazing, tightknit community that offered the support, encouragement, and acceptance I needed to thrive in college. While still focusing on my pre-med classes, I changed my major to dance!
Goals for post-graduation?
After graduation, I will take a gap year and apply to medical school in the spring of 2022. During my gap year, I plan to work as an Emergency Medical Technician back home in Dallas, Texas. I will continue conducting dance science research and expand on my Dance Honors Thesis work with the applications of fascia for dance movement and injury prevention. I also plan to take as many dance classes as I can in my free time. In the future, I hope to become a physician and work in the field of Emergency Medicine.