March 2014 Profile: Monique Gaines

By Johnnie Grant

True Passion: Running track.

Hidden Talent: Ballet and contemporary dancing.

Biggest Indulgence: Shopping!

Support Network: Grandmothers Edna Hill and Bettie Edding, Pamela Washington, and other adults who help to cultivate my life.

Happiest Time in Her Life: Right now, being a healthy, happy teenager.

On Track to a Bright Future

To the trained eye, it can be fairly easy to spot a gifted child. Even to the not-so-trained eye, it’s not hard to notice that a child has special talents. Monique Gaines is one such young lady: intrinsically motivated, and focused on making each day of her life better than the day before.

Monique says her support system is a little different than most, but not out of the norm. Having been raised by her grandmothers Edna Hill and Bettie Eddings, she is proud to say these two ladies have been there for her with encouragement and support. Anyone witnessing her bubbly personality can tell that she is a well-rounded young lady.

Monique smiles as she fondly recalls how active she was when she was younger. “I would dance around the house showing off my dance moves. So my grandmother found constructive ways for me to channel all that energy.

Monique is quick to note that her religious convictions have also kept her very focused, grounded, and centered. “I enjoy all variations of dance—such as praise dancing for my church family of Tried Stone Missionary Baptist Church, as well as dancing with the school’s dance team where we practice contemporary, ballet, and jazz,” she says.

She also formerly danced for the Urban Arts Institute, coordinated by local resident Michael Hayes, where she performed hip-hop dance routines.

In addition to her grandmothers and her church family, Monique is surrounded by mentors who have been very supportive. One among them is Mrs. Pamela Washington, a registrar at Asheville High School whom Monique can confide in for almost anything, from academics to personal guidance. Monique smiles as she shares a defining moment that meant so much to her.

“I can remember the time I didn’t have the track shoes I needed for a track meet. Mrs. Washington went out of her way to help me get the shoes and equipment I needed,” says Monique. “For that I am truly grateful, because it meant so much to me that she cared and believed in my abilities.”

Monique adds that having that type of support gave her the confidence to excel in track—where she runs the 200-meter and the 400-meter distances. She is deservedly proud to have been chosen as the captain of her Asheville High School track team, and she attributes her motivation to run track to her uncles, who broke track running records when they were in high school.

Though she has had a lot of happy moments in her young life, Monique can honestly say at this time in her life she is the happiest. She is a stable, outgoing teenager ready to take on her next adventure in life: enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the fall of 2014, where she will begin her work on a degree in Physical Therapy.

What will come after that? Monique’s ambition is to come home to help troubled youth who need guidance and support.

“I want to help other youth and give them the support that I have had so they, too, can achieve their dream of higher education, and a successful and happy life,” said Monique.

Monique Gaines is the daughter of Princess Gaines and Eric Hill of Asheville.