(CBS DETROIT) — An 18-year-old dancer from Detroit is set to attend a historically black college this fall, but he needs more money to fund his dream.
He began fundraising and took on a few side jobs to raise money for his education at Morehouse College.
“My love for dance has grown since I was 6 years old,” said Michael Wilbert, better known as “The Dancer.”
The road to becoming a rising star in dance has not been easy. Despite bullying, depression and fear of choosing dance, Wilbert’s passion never wavered, which has given him the opportunity to perform on “America’s Got Talent” and “World of Dance” and at Little Caesars Arena during halftime of a Detroit Pistons game.
“[Overcoming opposition] becomes easier knowing that my dance is an outlet for me, [and] for my mental health,” he said. “So I use it to express myself.”
And that self-expression is why Wilbert is now pursuing another dream: becoming a Morehouse man.
“Morehouse is definitely about building up black men,” he said. “I come from a fatherless household with no brothers, so I think I would want that brotherhood and fatherhood.”
But financial problems stand in Wilbert’s way. After applying for federal aid, his mother, Janelle, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her surgeries and treatments have taken a toll on the family’s finances, and despite grants and loans, Wilbert is still thousands of dollars short of the required 60 percent tuition payment to enroll.
“I’ve had jobs to pay for it,” he said. “But I feel like once I get out there and do what I need to do, I feel like it’ll be easier in the long run.”
Wilbert says he is a fighter and comes from a family of fighters and is determined to achieve his university ambitions.
