"When I was in the fourth grade, I began training with Charlys Ing, [artistic director of the Hawaii Ballet Theatre]," said Palko. "That's when I started to dance seriously."
As a senior in high school, Palko performed with the Hawaii Ballet Theatre as a demi-soloist and apprentice. "When I was a sophomore in high school, they told me, 'If you start training now, you can dance professionally,'" she said. "But I never considered pursuing dance as a career; I wanted to be a marine biologist."
But Palko's love for dancing intensified with its absence in her life. Her efforts to pursue dancing on campus were often futile, and the lack of dance opportunities offered on campus was often frustrating. "Let's just say I was disappointed," she said. "I found ways to dance off-campus. My freshman year I performed at Mount Holyoke, and my sophomore year I performed at Smith. But, by not taking classes and still performing, I got injured."
Palko also took over the Amherst Dance Club, which was begun by Tamara Venit '00, Alissa Wilson '00 and Amanda Thomas '00. "I decided to take it upon myself to channel all my energy towards it," said Palko. "It was something I really cared about."
This year, Palko is working on a project with the University Dancers at the University of Massachusetts and teaches ballet classes on campus for other students like herself who love to dance but do not have the extracurricular opportunity to do so. "I feel it's healthy for me to get off campus and to be choreographed on," she said. "But I also want to stay in touch with Amherst dancers."