Every year Troy University gives the Ingalls award for classroom teaching to a faculty member who most diligently, effectively, and cheerfully conducted his or her classes during the current academic year. This year’s winner was Dominique Angel.

Angel is a professor of ballet with Troy University’s Theater and Dance Department she has an impressive resume having studied and performed with the Joffrey Ballet and Miami City Ballet.

Following her performance career Dominique began teaching ballet. Considering her success as a professor, one might be surprised to hear that she didn’t necessarily foresee her future to be in front of the classroom.

“I fell into teaching,” says Angel. “A friend of mine had opened a studio in Miami and at one point she was desperate for someone to take over a class just on this one day and I guess she had run out of everybody else had said no.”

Despite her initial hesitation towards teaching Dominique fell in love with helping students to grow and her students reciprocate those feelings of adoration to this day.

“She pours so much into us, in our class, and who we are and she’s not just our ballet teacher she cares about us and our mental health and our physical health and she wants us to succeed,” says Dance Student Taylor Dewberry.

For the full story watch Caroline’s report.