For someone born and raised in Fountain Valley, Cassidy Doan’s path to nearby UC Irvine was surprisingly peripatetic. First gaining notice for her ballet skills at age 3, Doan became a professional dancer a decade later, leaving home for a full-time academy in Texas.

“I lived on my own in Houston since I was 15,” she says. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Doan returned to her roots in Orange County, where the idea of pursuing higher education began to take shape. “All my friends were applying to college, and I thought, ‘Why not?’” she recalls.

Now, having graduated last fall, Doan boasts dual degrees in dance and biological sciences. Her decision to attend UC Irvine, her mother’s alma mater, turned out to be pivotal, igniting a high-achieving academic journey, thanks in part to the Thomas T. and Elizabeth Tierney Scholarship in Fine Arts, the William J. Gillespie Foundation Scholarship, and the Sylvia Reines Scholarship in Dance.

“I received the Gillespie Scholarship for all three years of my education at UC Irvine. It’s mostly for ballet dance majors, which I was proud to be,” Doan says. The Sylvia Reines Scholarship enabled her to perform in “Serenade,” one of the Dance Visions 2024 works staged at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Initially drawn to UC Irvine’s dance program, Doan was also intrigued by the opportunity to explore her academic interests. “I took general chemistry and fell in love with it,” she says. “I realized this is what I missed out on during online school [in Houston].”

Her academic career, however, was not without challenges. “When my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it was a wake-up call for me. I knew I needed a Plan B,” Doan says. This led her to join a pediatric oncology research lab at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, a UCI Health affiliate. “That was my epiphanic experience; I wanted to cement my desire to become a physician and change people’s lives,” she adds.

Beyond her academic and performance commitments, Doan served as president of the Pro-Health Journal Club, which engages students in critical reading of scientific papers. “I love reading and wanted to combine that passion with my interests in medicine,” she says.

Currently, Doan balances roles as a medical assistant at Fountain Valley’s MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center and a dance teacher at the same city’s Southland Ballet Academy, the very institution that nurtured her as a young dancer.

As she prepares to apply to medical school this May, Doan reflects on her journey with gratitude not only for the scholarships that made it economically possible but also for the mentors who helped her along the way: from the Claire Trevor School of the Arts’ Department of Dance, Kelli Sharp, chair and associate professor; Tong Wang, associate professor; Diane Diefenderfer, professor of teaching; Vitor Luiz, assistant professor; and Molly Lynch, professor – and from the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, Michelle Fortier, associate professor.

Although she plans to attend medical school to become a pediatrician, Doan also hopes to continue dancing professionally and teach dance classes for children. She is clear about her life’s enduring passion: “I will dance until I die. Even if my body can’t dance anymore, I want to pass on my knowledge.”

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