There’s always that one person in the family who is distinct
from all the others. On March 29, 1994, the Shazier family welcomed their
newcomer. Shatarra Shazier was born at Hutzel Hospital in Detroit, MI. Her
mother, Ericka Shazier, knew from birth that her daughter was going to be an
extraordinary child. She was Ericka’s only child so this made her even more
special. Ericka had no idea what she was in for.
As a
toddler, Shatarra loved the art of music. Aaliyah was one of her favorite
artists. Not only did Tarra like to sing her music, she loved to dance to it
also. By the age of 7, her mother had recognized her talent and her passion for
dance. Immediately, Ericka started searching for a dance school for Tarra to
attend. Ericka knew that this would require a lot of time and money. Luckily
she wasn’t alone. Ericka had been dating Juan Willis since Shatarra was 6. He
did a lot for Tarra and took care of her as if she was his own. For this,
Shatarra looked at him as her father and had appreciated everything he did for
her. While Ericka was still on her search, Tarra was in grade school being a
bookworm. She attended Carleton Elementary School where she excelled in every
subject. It was like schoolwork came easy to her. As soon as she would get
home, she’d do her homework and head straight outside. School was never a
problem for her and her straight A report cards proved just that. Her teachers
and her family couldn’t be more proud of her.
At age
8, Tarra had begun dancing with Passions Community Dance House. Her first
instructor, Cydara White, taught the hip hop class. She was a very unique
dancer and Tarra had hoped to become as good as her one day so she practiced
and worked really hard. Tarra earned her spot in the front of every dance. When
her mother was late picking her up, she would sit in the adult practices, learn
their dance, and practice with them. That’s when Cydara had perceived Tarra’s
talent. After one year of dancing with the company, they wanted her back. They
offered her a scholarship that would pay for some of her uniforms for the next
year. This news had the Shazier family
ecstatic. In her second year of dancing with Passions, Tarra had noticed more
people and more instructors. She now had a teacher for ballet, tap, and modern
jazz. Of course she had excelled in these classes too and was placed in the
front for every performance. By age 10, she was given the opportunity to
audition at Marygrove College. There was going to be a big performance in the
summer and Cydara wanted her to be in it. She was never nervous about meeting
or performing in front of new people. She had performed in front of large
crowds and small crowds from Cobo Hall to school talent shows. When she
performed in front of the judges they fell in love with her immediately. They
sent her a letter letting her know that they wanted her to attend the
rehearsals. Unfortunately, her family couldn’t afford what they were asking
for. This didn’t stop her from dancing though.
When
Shatarra was 11, she performed at Marygrove College for the last time with
Passions. Cydara was going to be moving to L.A. soon to pursue her own dreams.
Everyone felt like this was the end, but God had a plan for Tarra so to her
this was only the beginning. In 2005, Tarra had started going to church with her
Grandma, her aunt, and her cousins. After two weeks of attending church, Tarra
decided to give her life to the Lord and become a member of Samaritan
Missionary Baptist Church. She was excited about this so right away she joined
every ministry she could. She joined the choir, the dance ministry, and even
the usher board. This may have seemed like a lot for a 12 year old but it was
what Shatarra wanted to do. She had a passion for dancing and singing, and
didn’t mind serving those who needed help. Tammie Pinkston was Shatarra’s dance
instructor at church. She was very versatile and every dance she created told a
story. Tammie hadn’t come up with these exclusive ideas herself though. She
looked to her dancers often for their opinions and Tarra was always one to give
her input. That’s why every concert was a success. Eventually Tammie left, but
the dance ministry is still going on with a wonderful new instructor. If you
know Shatarra, you know she didn’t just stop there.
When
Shatarra was in high school she was very athletic and showed this by
participating in sports like cheer, basketball, track & field, and dance.
Her motivation was her family. They supported her in everything. There were a
couple of times though, when she couldn’t participate because of her grades.
She decided to get that together first because she didn’t like the feeling of
being left out. Shatarra began her senior year cheering but soon left to dance
for basketball season. At the end of the basketball season the cheer and dance
teams united for the first time in Harper Woods history, to perform for the
last home game. It was a success and Shatarra couldn’t have been happier. Her
senior year was rocky but she stuck it out and graduated with a 3.2 GPA. Even
then she wasn’t done learning. Over the past summer, Tarra kept busy by
attending a machinist training program through Focus Hope. She was the youngest
and only girl in her class and that motivated her even more to finish. Tarra
was well liked by the staff and the students there. She got to work on many
different machines, learned how to use different measuring tools, how to read
and make blueprints, and how to write programs. Her class had started off with
26 people but only 12 graduated. Shatarra was one of the dozen to receive her
certificate. Soon after, she was on a search for a job in the CNC field. While
waiting to hear from employers, her mother had informed her about a casting
call for a fashion show. Shatarra had never modeled before but she thought this
would be an amazing experience so she gave it a shot. She had no idea she would
be chosen to walk in the Glitz & Glam fashion show. When she told her
family they were all excited and couldn’t wait to see her. None of this would
have been possible without them.
Glam House Productions partnered with Detroit CEO Magazine to offera great incentive for models who were chosen to participate in the 2012 Glitz & Glam Fashion event at the Masonic Temple in Downtown Detroit. For the model that sold the most tickets, a reward of a full page feature in Detroit CEO Magazine (online) was offered to the winning model. Not only did Shatarra win our hearts, but the hearts of those in attendance of this years exclusive fashion event! (photo credits: Vince Hollaway, Pearl Magazine)
Shatarra
will be 19 next year and has already accomplished so much. She’s danced and
sang in front of many people, graduated high school, graduated from a CNC
machinist training program, and walked a runway as a supermodel. She has
received many awards, trophies and medals for her athleticism and outstanding
achievements. She plans to further her education and start college in January
at Henry Ford, majoring in engineering. For Shatarra, this is only the
beginning of her adventure to the top. She has many hopes of becoming successful. One of her mavorite music quotes are a representation of her awesome life thus far,
“Dreams are hopeless aspirations in hopes of comin’ true. Believe in yourself,
the rest is up to me and you” –Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez.
This Is amazing I'm so proud to have a big sister like you.,!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Shatarra! Always remember Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
ReplyDeleteSis. Ella Denmark
Congratulations Shatarra; Stay focused and keep allowing the Lord to order your steps! I'm very proud. Keep reaching for the sky, there's no limit on what you can and will accomplish.
ReplyDeleteSis Bell