My Biography!

Birth Place/Family On August 9th, 1995, at 12:24 p.m., I, Cassie Dotta, came into the world in sunny San Diego, California. From day one, I was daddy’s little girl, no question about it. My dad works at the AT&T corporate offices, but he’s not your average Joe businessman; he’s a true “biker dude” who owns two Harleys and rides his motorcycle to work every day. My mom, also known as my biggest fan, used to work at AT&T as well, but she decided she wanted more time with her kids, so she left her job to become a stay-at-home mom. And then there’s Cameron, my pain-in-the-butt big brother. He’s three years older than me, so of course, all we do is fight—mostly because he loves to tease me and give me a hard time.

Childhood: When I was younger, my family was really close. We would take trips to Disneyland, go camping at the beach, and my favorite, head out to the desert where I could ride my quad! As my brother and I grew older, we got more involved in sports and other activities, which made it harder for us to spend as much time together as a family.

When I was 10, I became very interested in cheerleading. After spending a few years on the Cowboys team, the YMCA opened just down the street from our house. Wanting to try something new, I joined the gymnastics team instead.

From kindergarten through eighth grade, I went to Hill Creek Elementary, where I made so many friends. When I reached eighth grade, my mom and dad told me I would be going to West Hills. The only problem was that all of my friends were going to Santana. I cried and begged them to let me go too, but there was no changing their minds.

When my freshman year started, I felt like the odd girl out since I didn’t know anyone. But within just a few weeks, that changed when I met who is now my best friend, Sarina Guida. Along with Sarina came my other two best friends, Heather Tavolazzi and Hannah Beal. Through all the struggles and drama of high school, my best friends were always there to help me get through it.

When senior year started, Hannah and I made a new friend named Hailey Sparks, and the three of us became the singing, dancing trio! Now, with my senior year coming to an end, I’m giving it an extra push so I can finish strong with a 3.5 GPA.

Hobbies, Interest & Activities: Growing up, I had lots of different interests. From playing in the dirt out in the desert to cheering on the sidelines of Pop Warner football games. My parents never pushed me into any sport, but when I was seven years old, I started tumbling and immediately loved it. After tumbling for a few years, my parents signed me up for Pop Warner, where I cheered at football games and learned a routine to compete with my team. While I loved everything about cheer, my favorite part was always the competitions. On competition days, I would wake up early so my mom could do my hair and makeup. Right before we went out on the floor, our coaches would give us words of encouragement and then we’d roc the stage with everything we had.

When the YMCA opened near us, my mom took my brother and me to check it out. As soon as I saw the gymnasts practicing, I knew I wanted to try something new so traded in my cheer uniform for a leotard. After fours year of gymnastics I got to level six and began to lose interest in the sport so my mom and dad let me quit.

During my freshman year of high school, I was asked to try out for the gymnastics team, and I thought, “Why not? It’ll be easy.” After tryouts, I was told I made varsity. Making varsity as a freshman was a huge deal—I even went to CIF and earned my letter. By sophomore year, I decided to return to cheer and tried out for the school team. But after realizing high school cheer wasn’t for me, I didn’t try out again junior year. Instead, I joined an All-Star team called CheerForce. I made a level four team, the second-highest level in competitive cheer. That year, my team went to UCA Nationals in Florida, where we took first place! I continued cheering my senior year and plan to carry it into college as well.

Anecdotes:  You know how when you’re a kid, you beg your parents for a pet but then never actually take care of it? Yeah, well… I did that—about three times. Unfortunately that backfired on me. By the time I turned seventeen all I wanted was a kitten, but when I asked my dad, that didn’t go over too well.

The key, I learned, was persistence (or really, annoyance). I kept asking and asking until eventually my parents caved. One morning, my mom and dad took me out to breakfast and told me they had a surprise. The last thing I expected was a trip to the animal shelter.

The moment we walked in, I ran straight to the kitten section. The first little guy I laid eyes on, I just knew—he was the one. I named him Charlie Pants Meowgii, and he’s been my little sidekick ever since. He goes everywhere with me, and I couldn’t be happier that my parents gave me that fourth chance to finally prove I could take care of a pet.

Watching all those fairytale movies when I was little, I always hoped to find my own Prince Charming. I would have never guessed it would happen in high school. Junior year I took chemistry, where I ended up creating some real “chemistry” with a boy named Darley Cameron Bell. We sat across from each other and would awkwardly stare, waiting for the other to start a conversation.

Funny enough, our first conversation was actually over Facebook. The next day at school, he wrote me a little note asking for my phone number. After a few months of going on dates and hanging out, he asked me to be his girlfriend on December 13, 2011. When our one-year anniversary came around, he bought me a promise ring, and our relationship continues to get stronger every day.

Career: From the time I was a kid until now, I’ve had so many different dreams of what I wanted to be when I grew up. First it was a doctor, then an astronaut, and now I finally know for sure what I want to do with my life. I plan on going to college and majoring in Liberal Studies so I can earn my degree and become an elementary school teacher. After I become a teacher, I want to continue my education and work toward a master’s degree, with the goal of one day becoming a principal. I love working with children, and being in a school will allow me to do what I truly love.