Occidental alumna Esmé Brown ’19 took the stage for the victorious Seahawks Dancers at Super Bowl LX Feb. 8. Brown said this is her first year as a dancer for the Seahawks, having gone through three years of rejection from other NFL cheerleading teams to get to this moment.
“It was surreal, incredible and beyond rewarding — one of those experiences where the only way you can describe it is as a blessing,” Brown said. “Rejection is divine intervention. Standing at the Super Bowl as the cannons went off was the culmination of that truth.”
According to Brown, dancers need to re-audition at the beginning of each season. Brown said she wants to dance with the team for as long as possible.
“The first year I tried out I made it all the way to finals. Even though I didn’t make it, I had such a positive experience that I kept trying until I finally made it on my fourth attempt,” Brown said. “Beyond having the greatest experience I could have imagined, I absolutely plan on coming back.”
Brown said she wanted to try out for an NFL dance team because her fiance’s mother spoke so fondly of her own days with the LA Rams.
“My fiance’s mother was a cheerleader for the LA Rams in the 80’s-90’s and she spoke so highly of her experience that it inspired me to try out for pro cheer,” Brown said.
Ellen Prince ‘20 said she and Brown became close after college while they were living as roommates in Santa Monica. Prince said Brown deserves to have won with the Seahawks, especially after all of her attempts to join an NFL dance team.
“She tried out for the Rams and made it to finals but didn’t make the team,” Prince said. “Since she is very goal oriented she tried out for NFL teams until she finally made the Seahawks […] I knew this was her dream come true.”
Ethan Glass ’19, currently the CEO of OCRA (a commercial AI Parking system) and a member of the Forbes 30 under 30 list, said he and Brown met at Occidental’s January Term (J-Term) program. Glass also said he worked with Brown to workshop business ideas during J-Term as both were program leaders.
“We grew close during our time at J-Term, a one week entrepreneurial bootcamp where students would come back to campus and think through potential business ideas,” Glass said. “My idea for OCRA was sparked [during] J-Term our junior year.”
According to Glass, Brown joined his team at OCRA as Account Executive in 2025, prior to auditioning for the Seahawks Dancers.
“She was looking for a career change and was willing to work with us,” Glass said. “She is extremely personable, has a keen brain for operations and is one of the strongest leaders I have had the chance to work with.”
Brown said the stability of working from home with OCRA allowed her to pursue professional cheerleading at the same time. Brown said she was looking for a job that allowed her the flexibility to try out for a pro-cheer team which requires a lot of travel.
According to Brown, her previous job as an instructor at the Nike Running Studio in Santa Monica had a very rigid schedule. Brown said after a year at the studio, she was ready for a career change.
“I helped start the first running studio for Nike ever,” Brown said. “I cut the ribbon for its opening day Aug 3. 2024.”
Glass said he is proud of Brown for becoming a Seahawks Dancer and being a part of the Super Bowl winning dance team.
“We were fortunate that Occidental brought her, myself and our other friends together,” Glass said. “We were all rooting for [the Seahawks] to win the game. Watching her achieve her goals was truly special. I hope she inspires more Oxy students.”
Brown said dance was a big part of her life growing up, and that LA was the ideal city for dance. Brown said she ultimately decided to major in Kinesiology and minor in Physics at Occidental.
“I’ve been a dancer my entire life,” Brown said. “It is not just something that I love – it’s a part of who I am. I think my passion is exemplified not only in how many dance clubs I’ve been a part of, but also in how my major was the study of movement.”
Brown said she was inspired by current Occidental professor Stuart Rugg, who gave an anatomy lesson during Brown’s yoga instructor training at Occidental.
“His human anatomy class was one of the greatest classes I’ve taken […] simply because of the passion he brought,” Brown said.
Brown said she was also involved with Dance Production, HyperXpressions and PULSE Club at Occidental.
“I was a four-year member of Dance Production, a treasurer for my last two years and a choreographer for one year,” Brown said.
Brown said she hopes to become an instructor after her dance career is over.
“Longer-term it would be really rewarding to teach professional cheer classes,” Brown said. “I want to pass on the idea that you should keep going and trust the process.”
Contact Miriam Arenal at arenal@oxy.edu
