HUMANS OF BELLAIRE – EJ Brotamonte

“I was very nervous coming to Bellaire [since] I didn’t know too many people. I was actually supposed to go to Lamar, but then I came to Bellaire for baseball. Then, COVID [happened], and I [was] thrown back into an environment I’d never known before my sophomore year, so it was really hard to stay focused. Thankfully, baseball was still around, but with COVID regulations, you had to wear masks. I also got into eMotion Dance Company that year, but we had to do outdoor practices. It was kind of hard for me to stay interested in dance, but I stuck with it for my junior year. Being back in the new school for the first year was really weird. My work ethic had deteriorated significantly, so at first, I really struggled with classes. I eventually found a good schedule to keep up with baseball, dance and school, and then senior year has just been really fun. I’ve tried to be a lot more involved in dance as [the breakdance] Vice President of eMotion. I made sure to spend a lot of time with my friends knowing that this might be my last time with them, so I have been trying to have as much fun as possible.

[In middle school], I danced at Pin Oak, and it was okay. The person who taught me how to dance was from Pin Oak, but he left to do studio dance and focus on that because he was a head choreographer. I had fun, but it wasn’t really my type of dance per se because for competitions, you have to do multiple styles. I’m mainly a hip hop/breakdancer, so it wasn’t really what I was looking for. I thought I was done after that. I went to the eMotion fall show my freshman [year], and I was mind-blown. I was like, ‘Okay, this is awesome. This is something I would love to be a part of,’ which reignited my love for dance. Going to that show and joining eMotion has been one of the greatest impacts of my high school career, if not my life, so far.

[The] biggest thing I regret is not keeping up a work ethic throughout my sophomore and junior year because it’ll affect college applications and having high test scores. Middle school is definitely a popularity contest. High school is completely different. You can find whoever you want to hang out with. I was able to find friends, especially when I joined eMotion sophomore year and then continued junior year. I found a group that I really liked to hang out with and surround[ed] myself with people who have the same interests [as] me who I genuinely enjoy being around. It really help[ed] with my confidence in general and my mental health in small ways. 

I’m going to UTSA [and will be] majoring in business analytics. [I want to be remembered as] someone who gave decent advice and who was, I hope, a good dancer on eMotion who affected the program in a positive way. I plan on doing Goodphil with FSA at UTSA, and I know a bunch of people who go to UT Austin or UH. I’ll be able to see them and compete against them, so I think that’d be really cool. I’m really hoping I find people at UTSA who have the same interests as me and love [the] things I love.

Find the people you want to be around. [In] middle school, my whole friend group changed to my high school friends, people that I never would have imagined hanging out with that are my main group of friends. [High school] is a completely different environment, so find what works for you. Don’t feel pressured by sports or anything like popularity. Just do what’s best for you.”