Since her birth at just 25 weeks, Anna Meyer-Stark’s life has been filled with challenges. From the NICU to medical foster care to the medical equipment and professionals that accompanied her to her new home when she was adopted, nothing came easy. But that didn’t stop her.

She had a trach so she couldn’t speak, but Meyer-Stark knew 600 signs by the time the trach was removed at age four. She scooted around until she learned to walk at age three-and-a-half. Eating was hard due to a paralyzed vocal cord, but she eventually started taking small bites, and she was eating enough to have her feeding tube removed at age nine. She started riding a bike on her own in the sixth grade.

Through all of life’s challenges, Meyer-Stark has always loved music. She would make a specific sound to sing along with nursery rhymes with her trach in, and she learned to play songs on the piano. She sang in all of her grade-school music programs and participated in three different children’s musicals.

In 2021-22, Meyer-Stark’s love of music went one step further when she joined the Majorettes at St. Cloud Apollo High School.  She had memorized several dances to Michael Jackson songs by playing Wii Sport Just Dance, and Shana Black - a paraeducator that worked with Meyer-Stark during the day and started the Majorettes - recognized her passion and talent and encouraged her to do a solo performance at halftime of an Apollo basketball game. Meyer-Stark was received with whistles and a round of applause and told everyone afterwards that music makes her feel awesome.

Meyer-Stark’s medical prognosis hasn’t changed, as she continues to be challenged medically, academically, and emotionally, but thanks to music and dance - and the Majorettes - she has a place where she fits in and can just be a dancer when she’s in the spotlight.