Michela DePrince

Michela DePrince was born on January 6, 1995, in Sierra Leone. As a young child, Michela’s father was murdered, and her mother died from sickness, and she was given to an orphanage. The orphanage was run by “Aunties” who named the children 1-27. 1 was the favorite, and 27 was the least favorite. Michela was 27 because of her skin condition called vitiligo. Vitiligo caused patches of the skin losing their pigment. "They thought of me as a devil's child. They told me every day how I wasn't going to get adopted, because nobody would want a devil's child,” she once said. Michela befriended number 26, and they soon became best friends. Michela and 26 (Mia) were both adopted by Elena DePrince, and were taken to America. Michela had discovered ballet, and desperately wanted to take classes there. When she turned five, she got her wish, and began taking classes at Rock School of Dance in Philadelphia. Michela pursued her dream of ballet, and is now a soloist at the Dutch National Ballet.