The Dancing Engineer

JESSICA Y. ’23 recently wrapped up her first season as a member of the BlazerDancers, the official dance team for the Portland Trail Blazers. Even as the season came to a close this spring, she was still pinching herself over the opportunity.

“I didn’t think I was ever going to dance professionally,” she says. “It was always an escape for me, so it’s really cool to get to do it as my job.”

But dancing is actually only one of her jobs: by day, she works full-time as an analyst with a local mechanical engineering firm specializing in sustainability and renewable energy. Between that and a six-month NBA season with over 40 home games, it’s been a lot to manage, but she has enjoyed the challenge.

Dance has long been a part of Jessica’s life. As a high school student, she started a dance club to allow fellow students with all different backgrounds to cultivate their passion. Before the Blazers, she was also a member of the Pilots Dance Team at UP (turns out two other UP Dance Team alums dance for the Blazers as well). “The team is amazing; everyone is so supportive and fun.”

Jessica will be traveling in Europe for her engineering job for the next six months, so she won’t be able to perform in the 2024–2025 season, but hopes to try out again in the future. She’s also considering trying out for NFL dance teams or auditioning to be a backup dancer for touring musicians.

“More than anything, I want to keep dancing,” she says.