Written by Tyler Kuehl
 
Since its inception in 2008, the Dance team at Davenport University has been a very exciting and entertaining spirit team. One of the many members that have taken the floor for the Panthers was Trisha Madura. The Munster, Indiana-native danced for the Panthers from 2013 to 2017.
 
Madura had been dancing since she was three years old, and she knew in high school that she wanted to pursue dancing through college, which led her to enrolling at Davenport back in the spring of 2013.
 
The Davenport Dance team has always been competitive throughout its 11-year history, but the program's biggest moment came back in 2017, when Madura and the rest of the Panthers won the NDA Hip Hop DIII and NAIA Small-Team Performance National Championships.
 
"Definitely the best note to end on," Madura said when reflecting. "More than I ever could have expected."
 
After graduating from DU with a marketing degree, Madura was contemplating staying Grand Rapids or getting a job in Chicago, closer to her hometown in Northwest Indiana. She ended up scoring a job with the Chicago White Sox, her favorite team growing up, as a member of their "Pride Crew". Her duties there include help setting up and executing all of the in-game promotions.
 
Entering her fourth year with the club, she still loves working with the team she grew up watching.
 
"I just love it, because I've been a Sox fan my whole life. It's a cool team, and it kind of helps fill the void of not being on a collegiate team anymore."
 
Madura has definitely not let her marketing degree go to waste. She started working with Accel Entertainment, a big supplier of slot machines and other gambling entertainment in Illinois, back in December of 2017. She has climbed the company's latter all the way to being promoted to Marketing Manager this past month.
 
"It was an industry that I did not know a lot about before getting into, but it is a really cool industry to be a part of."
 
Madura is excited to be managing of group of people with her new position. Similar to when she was a Building Manager at the Student Center back in her Davenport days.
 
Even though she does not dance competitively anymore, Trisha is still involved in dance, now as a teacher more than performing. She still takes apart in classes at studios around downtown Chicago, as well as being and Instructor and Choreographer for Origins Dance Academy in Crown Point, Indiana. She has been there for the past two years, teaching seven different groups and helping the Academy prepare for competitions.
 
"I never thought I would become a dance teacher, but this job just kind of fell into my lap and I absolutely love it."