Jessie Keller, Attended DA 2001-2003: Broker Associate / Realtor, Salsa Dance Instructor

Jessie Keller lives in Aurora, Colo., and works as a broker associate/ realtor with Madison & Company Properties LLC. She is also a salsa dance instructor.

Denver Academy permitted me to be myself. While I was at Denver Academy, I did not feel like I was different or like I had to be someone else to fit in. Denver Academy also helped me know my weaknesses and find ways to improve them so I could compete in the normal world. It was normal to be unnormal.

 

As a realtor, I love working with people through all the different transitions of life. Once a person has their first steady income, they want to buy their first house. When they decide to have a family, their first house is too small, so they need a bigger one. As the children start leaving the house, people want to downsize. To me, these stages of life are all so beautiful. The thing I love about real estate is that I get to help families build their wealth. That is my favorite thing about being a realtor. 

As a salsa dance instructor, I love teaching people how to lead and follow with their bodies. Through my many years as a dance teacher and through my own personal growth, I have realized the importance of being a follower. Through my own experience as a woman, I thought it was horrible to be a follower — I was always taught that I needed to be a leader. No one ever talked about the importance of following and the amazing power and presence the follower has. Through my journey of this dance, learning both how to lead and how to follow, I have come to appreciate the follower position. Anyone can follow, but very few are great followers. 

I learned how to love people just the way they are. 

 

Mrs. House and Mr. Wood

 

Denver Academy had a lot of students, different sports, and an amazing theater program.