Meet Our Team
Stairway For Ballet Step Program Team
SoEun (Sonya) Park
Founder
SoEun Park is a senior at Harvard University studying Government and Sociology, with a secondary in Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights. Her academic interests focus on international relations, particularly the intersection of human rights, immigration, and foreign policy across different cultural and political contexts.
She is the founder of Stairway For Ballet, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2020 that works to expand access to ballet and address structural inequities within the discipline. Today, the organization centers on summer programs and intensives that bring high-quality ballet instruction to underserved communities, alongside free educational resources for young dancers.
A trained ballet dancer, SoEun competed nationally at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and the World Ballet Arts Competition (WBAC) and was part of the Harvard Ballet Company, where she served as Publicity and DEI Chair. She is also involved in Harvard Citystep, Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program, Harvard Undergraduate Women in Foreign Policy, and is committed to building inclusive institutions through sustained, community-centered initiatives.
Olivia Morelli
Student Coordinator
Olivia Morelli is a senior at Indiana University studying Finance and Public Policy Analysis. She grew up in Troy, Michigan, and has been involved in the dance world since the age of three, training primarily in ballet, pointe, and contemporary styles. Through dance, she has learned how the arts connect people across backgrounds and has built meaningful relationships with peers through a shared passion.
In addition to competing, Olivia has taught dance for the past four years through My Time to Shine, where she supports movement and dance classes for students with disabilities to promote accessibility in the arts. She also volunteers as the Student Coordinator at Stairway For Ballet, driven by her commitment to educational equity, particularly in arts education. On campus, Olivia is involved in the Finance Diversity Program, the international NGO charity: water at IU, and the student-run Envision Capital Management Group. She hopes to use economics and business to help create a more sustainable, fair, and just world. In her free time, she enjoys scuba diving, biking, skiing, and yoga.
Maria (Mia) Steis
Volunteer Coordinator
Mia is the Volunteer Coordinator for Stairway for Ballet and a senior at Boston University studying Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in nanotechnology. She is also a member of the Harvard Ballet Company. Mia grew up in Arlington, Virginia, where she trained at Adagio Ballet School of Dance and Virginia Dance Conservatory, and further expanded her training through summer intensives at the Kirov Ballet Academy and Bolshoi Ballet Academy, as well as the Danzante Contemporary Trainee program.
In 2020, Mia founded Mia’s Mini Ballet School, which provides ballet and contemporary training for students ages 5–9, helping her develop entrepreneurial, management, and teaching skills. Through her teaching and involvement with Stairway for Ballet, she hopes to share her passion for dance and empower students to express themselves and feel confident in their identities. Outside of dance, Mia enjoys running, skiing, hiking, and theater.