Building Lifetime Bonds: Tisa Patel

In the dimly lit theater anticipation hangs in the air, and the whispers of the audience fall silent as the spotlight centers on a lone figure. As the curtains part, a fearless dancer appears, and that dancer is Tisa Patel.

In her 4th and final year of high school, Patel has already lived a lifetime.

Born in Nepal, Patel was put up for adoption and placed in an orphanage there, where she found her love for dance. Through dance, Patel has practically explored the world. Moving to India, London, New Jersey, Gujarat, and places all across Asia.

“I’ve traveled most of Asia for dance, and I go to different countries and perform there for the people that are interested in Indian culture. Our goal is to sort of make people aware of different cultures, Indian cultures, [and to] give them more perspective about what it’s like to be a dancer from a different culture,” she said.

Through her dancing career, Patel provides support for her orphanage back in India. Taking care of them is very important to her.

“I take care of that orphanage now in India. And there are 50 kids there that are just like me. They’re my family. They’re my siblings that I don’t have. They’re my mom and dad. They’re my brothers and sisters. They’re my everything,” said Patel.

In her free time, Patel enjoys playing tennis for our girl’s team. Building bonds is very important to her, she does that through Tennis.

“Though I’m not really good at it [tennis]. I think it’s one of my hobbies, I like to go in and play and just bond with the girls,” she said.

Patel would like to pursue a career in the medical field, possibly at the University of Missouri Saint Louis or a school in Chicago. Although she is not set on a specific field, she is working every day to explore her options.

“Currently I’m taking EMS classes at Parkland, and I’m doing an executive internship with I.V. rehab kids. I work with kids who have developmental issues, and for EMS [classes] I go and work in ambulances and ERs,” said Patel.

While Patel has had a long road to get to where she is today, she has had an important role model through it all:

“My grandpa, who adopted me into the family. I was really grateful to get adopted. He taught me that no one is alone in this world. I’m really grateful for him. Even though he’s not here anymore with us, he taught me a lot of things,” said Patel.

In addition to having an impactful role model, Patel has found many lifetime friendships during her time at Urbana High School.

“The first person that I really got close with was Parker [Schroeder]. And through him, I’ve met so many amazing new people,” said Patel. “I met Shruti [Patel] in my sophomore year, I was really grateful to meet her and have a person who also has an Indian background; I could relate to her a lot.”

Through these long-lasting friendships, Patel said she has experienced the true meaning of the “American Dream.”

“Not too long ago, I got a chance to be friends with Dylan [Pettit], Gwen [Schiff], and Eisla [Madigan], I’m really, really grateful for them. They taught me a lot of new stuff that I couldn’t have done without them. They gave me the experience of American life, the American dream that I always thought of,” she said.