A legacy in motion: From Sunset High School dancer to teaching

Lizette Rivera knows how it feels to be lifted by her community. As a Dallas ISD student at Sunset High School, dance gave her a stage, her teachers gave her guidance, and her classmates gave her encouragement. Now, as a first-year dance teacher at Robert T. Hill Middle School, she is returning to the district that helped shape her, teaching dance and career prep classes. 

“My high school dance teachers inspired me to continue doing dance as an educator,” she said. “I hope to be that person for my students. I hope to inspire them to try new things and to see the possibilities that exist for their careers.”  

Rivera’s love for performing didn’t start on a traditional stage. It began on game days under her school’s stadium floodlights. As a freshman, she joined Sunset’s cheer team before eventually moving to the dance team.   

“I saw the dance team and thought, ‘Wow, I want to be a part of this,’” she said. “I joined dance my first year, but it wasn’t until senior year that everything clicked. It was hard in the beginning, but improvement came with hard work. I kept going because I knew I loved performing and showing school spirit.” 

Her time on the dance team and in other school activities introduced her to lasting friendships and teachers who became mentors. Many of those teachers also built relationships with her family, creating what Rivera describes as a “safe space to grow.” 

“I’ve always kept in touch with my high school teachers,” she said. “They were my mentors in dance and supported me in anything I wanted to do. At Sunset, I met my true friends, and I still return as an alumna to volunteer and share my experiences.” 

After graduating high school, Rivera continued her training with a scholarship to Texas Valley Community College, where she was a part of the Cardettes, a competitive, championship drill team in Texas. She later transferred to Texas Woman’s University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in dance in 2025 with minors in psychology and education.  

As a student teacher in Dallas ISD, she gained hands-on experience at W.H. Adamson High School and W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy. These experiences gave her the confidence to step into her own classroom immediately after college.  

Rivera admits that learning dance later than some of her peers was a challenge, but it taught her perseverance.  

“Dance almost feels like exposure therapy for me because there were times in college where I still struggled with certain things,” she said. “Some dancers start ballet young; I didn’t grow up doing ballet. TWU was my first introduction to it. I almost felt like I was in high school, learning from the beginning, but I knew I had to do it. It was fun.” 

Rivera’s determination is paying off. She is now helping to build legacies by shaping the next generation of dancers, just as her teachers shaped her. Beyond technique and performance, she hopes to show her students that dance can be an outlet for an active and healthy lifestyle.  

This August, Rivera joined nearly 1,000 new teachers at the 2025 New Teacher Academy. Together, they filled the Bill and Margot Winspear Opera house in a sea of gold T-shirts, listening as Superintendent Elizalde reminded them that they are as valuable as 14-karat gold and encouraged them to keep showing up. 

For Rivera, this message resonated deeply. She said she was made for the spotlight and is ready to take on the challenge of never giving up, drawing strength from Dallas ISD’s long-standing traditions and a spirit of excellence instilled in her first years at Winnetka Elementary School.  

“It feels good coming back to Dallas ISD,” Rivera said. “Because I actually never left.”