Hi There, Redskins Fans!

My name is Tequia and this my third year as a Washington Redskins Cheerleader.  I am a 2006 alumna of my hometown Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where I studied Political Science-International Affairs and was very active in my university and community.  I am a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and am recently engaged to my High School “Sweetheart".

I couldn’t wait to get to Washington, D.C. after college and have been working on Capitol Hill in the U.S. Senate ever since.  I’m living a dream and loving every minute of it!  I expect to begin law school sometime in the coming years and hope to work on a joint Masters Degree program in International Affairs.

The words "in my spare time" have always been a joke to me. I tend to keep myself very busy and I often feel guilty when I have nothing to do.  Since there is no "true" free time for me, I don’t watch much television and really don’t get out much.  When I do, however, I enjoy nice restaurants and a night of dancing or bowling.

If you do find me watching television, it’s definitely "Law & Order: SVU" or "House." Some of my favorite movies are "What Dreams May Come," "Butterfly Effect," "Vanilla Sky," or anything by Spike Lee, especially "Bamboozled" and "School Daze."

Since I grew up in a small town, I am used to getting the latest music and fashion late. So, I guess it’s kind of fitting that my favorite kinds of music is anything before 1980! Music has been a big part of my life since I picked up my trumpet at the age of nine. I love Motown, Big Band, and Jazz. Some of my fascinations are of course the greats: Miles and Dizzy, and I can’t live without Billie, Ella, and "Satchmo!" I enjoy music from Ray Charles and later notables, Roberta Flack and Marvin Gaye, all the way to recent folks like Christina Aguilera, Musiq Soulchild, Tamia, Alicia Keys, and India Arie. My all-time favorite songs are "Summertime" (Gershwin), "Georgia on my Mind" (Gorrell), and "A Change is Gonna Come" (Cooke).

Of course, along with a love for music, comes a love for dance. I started moving to drum beats in African Dance at seven years old. Throughout my education, I was on dance teams (both performance oriented and competitive) from my freshman year of high school to my sophomore year of college. I began competitive cheerleading in the seventh grade and concluded my senior year of high school.

Being a Redskins Cheerleader has provided me with experiences I will never forget!  The calendar trip to Florida, like Aruba last year and Cancun the year before was absolutely amazing!  In January, we were able to march in the Chinese New Year Parade in Hong Kong, which proved to be not only a thrill, but a fascinating lesson in culture and language!

Significant to me, was the opportunity to visit over 23 military bases in Iraq, one Thanksgiving.  Being able to witness the warzone and to personally thank our US soldiers for their selflessness and courage, was an honor that has more than changed my life!!  I was ecstatic to be afforded the opportunity to give thanks once again, last October, when we visited U.S. military bases in Germany and other European countries.

Thanks so much for being the loyal fans that you are!  See you at the game!

Take Care,