Without God, I can do Nothing
Twenty-four year old Bridget Vander Hoff grew up in quiet Morenci, Michigan. She remembers starting preschool halfway through the academic year when her little sister Anna was a baby. Bridget hadn’t spent a lot of time around other children so she was nervous on her first day. As she was putting her stuff in her cubby, a little girl walked up and introduced herself. “Hi, my name is Aubrey. What’s your name?” They were fast and easy best friends after that, until Aubrey moved to Florida in fifth grade.
Bridget’s enjoyable preschool experiences influenced her to pursue early childhood education as a career. Young children’s perspectives and new eyes on the world inspire her to find joy in simple things. Someday, she’d like to be a lead teacher at a childcare center. Bridget graduated with her Bachelor’s in 2018 and plans to begin working on her Master’s in Early Childhood Education as soon as possible.
Bridget started dance classes in Kindergarten and continued through college. Ballet has been a mainstay but she’s also passionate about jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop. Dance gave her the opportunity to compete and travel to destinations such as Florida, Cleveland, and Chicago. Bridget says, “As artists, we can’t do anything without God. We come up with ways to express ourselves but we can’t do it without God. We have to put effort in to make things happen but without God, it wouldn’t happen at all.”
The dance teacher doesn’t remember a time when her journey with God began. God has always been a nice comforting part of her life and He’s always making her a better person. Her parents raised her to be Christian by taking her to church and keeping her on track. Attending a parochial school that formed her faith was a grounding experience for Bridget. When she’s tempted to act out in anger or other emotions, God reminds her that he’s good and in control. He reminds her that she has nothing to worry about.
Bridget’s love of dance and children intersect with her commitment to faith in her position as a dance teacher at the recently opened Great Commission Studios. This Christian dance studio generates revenue to fund global missionary efforts. Click here to learn more about Great Commission Studios. Click here to read about Bridget’s affiliation with Opportunity Arts. Bridget can be reached by email at bridgetmvanderhoff@gmail.com.