Make no mistake — Daniela Ramirez is a cheerleader because she likes dancing, makeup, the pom-poms and the sporty-yet-feminine uniforms.
Photography by Yuvie Styles
So it makes sense why she wanted to join the team.
The Woodrow Wilson High School senior, who is hard of hearing, began cheering at age 7 in a league outside school before joining the team at Woodrow her freshman year.
For the past four years, Daniela has performed at pep rallies and football and basketball games, plus supported her teammates during competition season. She has also cheered at the Special Olympics.
Between pep rallies and game days, her favorite cheerleading activity isn’t a mystery.
“I like games,” Daniela says.
Even during her first one, she was not nervous about performing in front of people, just excited and happy. She remembers jamming to K-pop music in the car with her friends on the way to games in the first season.
But there was a time when Daniela wanted to quit cheerleading. Daniela’s mother M.C. Camacho, who interpreted for her during the interview for this story, wanted her to learn not to give up during tough times.
“In the second year, she was tired,” Camacho says. “And I say, ‘I’m sorry. You picked, you decided, and I’m sorry; you’re not going to quit.’ So I think now she loves it.”
You may think that being a cheerleader with a hearing disability would be difficult to pull off safely amid a group of other members waving pom-poms and performing stunts. If one of her teammates is talking too fast, Daniela will ask them to slow down and repeat themselves.
“If she is not understanding something, she advocates for herself,” Camacho says.
Her mother wasn’t concerned about Daniela’s hearing but more so for her coordination disability.
“It’s like she asked her hand to move, and her hand is going to say, ‘No, I’m not going to move,’” Camacho says.
In fact, Daniela had surgery on her knee last summer after tearing a ligament while jumping during tryouts. That injury has impacted her ability to keep up during performances, but it didn’t stop her completely. She was healed after six months on what was supposed to be a yearlong recovery.
Unlike her love of games, Daniela’s future plans are a bit more mercurial. She says she wants to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and travel. Her mother says she also had ambitions to be a chef.
For now, Daniela seems to have settled on going to college to become a teacher. Specifically, she wants to be an interpreter for children like her who are deaf and understand both English and Spanish.
When she graduates and leaves the WWHS cheer team, Daniela says she will miss her friends and coach the most. The girls on the team are kind to her, and one of her teammates can even speak sign language to her.
Throughout Daniela’s time at Woodrow, her mother attended almost every game, “watching her in front of everybody, trying to do her best” with utmost pride. Daniela has gained confidence and leadership skills and has made bonds with fellow cheerleaders, both seniors and underclassmen.
“I feel she is part of the team, like not just a special needs girl with a spot there,” Camacho says.
