NATCHITOCHES, LA – When Madeline Lorio, a 2021 LSMSA graduate, returned to the Treen Auditorium stage in fall 2025 as a choreographer and dancer for the Informal Fall Dance Concert, it marked more than a homecoming. It affirmed a lesson she learned at LSMSA: you don’t have to choose between your passions.
A May 2025 Tulane University graduate with dual degrees in public health and dance, Lorio now works as a medical assistant at the Ochsner Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center while freelancing as a dancer and instructor in New Orleans. She plans to begin medical school in July 2026 and has already been accepted into three programs, pursuing her goal of becoming a pediatric oncologist.
Lorio credits LSMSA dance instructor Crystal Lewis with helping her believe she could pursue both medicine and dance. At Tulane, she balanced pre-med studies with leadership roles, including captain of the Tulane Shockwave Dance Team. She says LSMSA’s rigorous academics prepared her well for college and beyond.
Returning to LSMSA was a full-circle moment. “LSMSA truly did shape the trajectory of my future,” Lorio said. She encourages current students to pursue their passions wholeheartedly, emphasizing that with strong mentorship and determination, it is possible to balance multiple dreams.