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Sharica Lee graduated from CSN with an associate degree in psychology and will attend UNLV in the fall.
Saturday, May 15, 2021 | 2 a.m.
After ending a professional dancing career, one that saw her perform on the Las Vegas Strip and with NFL teams, Sharica Lee couldn’t help but feel lost in life.
She wondered, what’s next?
“Throughout life we all go through some sort of identity crisis and coming out of the limelight and the world of professional dancing internationally, you come to a crossroads where you’re confused,” Lee said. “For most performers and athletes, when it is time to close that door, we are unsure what the next steps are.”
Lee, 39, aspires to be a therapist and help those who struggle with identity issues and depression like she did after quitting dance.
Saturday, she’s graduating with honors from College of Southern Nevada with an associate degree in psychology. And, as commencement speaker of the class of 2021, Lee is giving a speech at 6:30 p.m. today at Sam Boyd Stadium in front of thousands of graduates. She will share the stage with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Rep. Susie Lee of Nevada, who are also speaking at the ceremony.
With 4,000 students earning degrees and certificates, this is the largest class to graduate from CSN, officials said. Nearly one in four of the graduates are the first in their family to receive a degree, and 33% are Latino.
Sharica Lee considers her degree the beginning of a long academic journey. She will attend UNLV in the fall to study psychology, focusing on brain behavior and how it relates to the nervous system.
Ultimately, she intends to pursue a doctorate and open her own practice.
“I’m not sure where the road will take me, but I’d like to be on the cutting edge of research in addiction treatment and helping others persevere,” she said.
Originally from Maryland, Lee moved to Las Vegas in 2011 and performed in the now-defunct Sirens of TI at Treasure Island. Before that, Lee danced for three NFL teams and toured India performing Bollywood, a dance form in Indian films.
“I got to travel the world and it was remarkable,” she said.
After Lee was done living the dream as a dancer, she was a stay-at-home mom and caregiver to her husband, who is a disabled U.S. Army veteran. She decided to return to college, which she had put off for 15 years, to be a good role model for her daughter, she said.
Lee said she wouldn’t have made it through CSN without the support of her husband, Keith, who injured his back carrying missiles as a U.S. Army Air Defense Crew member. Lee is his certified caregiver, and as his spouse, gets three years of discounted education through his veteran benefits as part of the GI Bill.
“He is my rock and my No. 1 supporter. God first, but he has established the foundation for me to thrive,” she said.
Along with being a student and caregiver, Lee was a stand-in preschool teacher to her 4-year-old daughter Trinity when classes went to virtual learning. Lee reserved the early day for taking care of her family and evenings for studying.
“It’s been a lot of late nights and early mornings,” she said.
Like all students, there were times when Lee struggled. She sought advice from one of her psychology professors, Elsa Mason, about how to balance school and family life.
“She wanted to know, ‘Can I have a job and do a Ph.D. program and have a family all at the same time?’ She wanted to know if that’s possible and how to go about it,” Mason said.
As the semester progressed, Lee’s confidence grew and there was no more doubting her ability to achieve, Mason said. Lee is graduating with a 3.48 grade point average. She also volunteered with the college’s psychology club.
“She is incredibly energetic and you have to be to manage everything she is juggling,” Mason said. “Being a mature student, she already knows that life has challenges and has been able to overcome a lot as a student coming in with more life experience.”
That life experience will be highlighted in her speech.
She had to submit a manuscript of a four-minute speech about her educational journey to the CSN Commencement Speech Committee for consideration. As commencement speaker, Lee is eligible for the Nevada Institution Transfer Scholarship, which pays for 60 credits at UNLV.
