Myesha Lyles

At 17, Myesha Lyles started suffering from a string of bad headaches. The busy high school junior brushed it off, presuming she was tired. When her vision got worse, she thought she needed an eye exam.

Then, she fell down the stairs at home and was rushed to the hospital. Myesha actually had acoustic neuroma, a rare noncancerous tumor, in her brain. After an extensive 14-hour surgery, the tumor was gone, but so was her vision and hearing in her right ear.

Determined to live a life without limits, Myesha spent countless hours in physical and speech therapies. With the help of Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, she learned to cook, clean, use computers and more.

When Myesha transferred to FIU from Miami Dade College, she was homeless, staying in a shelter and endured a two-hour bus ride to get to class. FIU’s Disability Resource Center stepped in and connected Myesha with Fostering Panther Pride, which supports former foster youth and homeless students at FIU.

While balancing her coursework and internship at Gulfstream Elementary, Myesha has been chasing another one of her lifelong passions – contemporary dance. Two years ago, she began taking lessons at a local dance studio. She recently gave her first solo performance at the Manuel Artime Theater in Little Havana. 

After graduation, Myesha plans to continue dancing, and even try out to be a Miami HEAT Dancer. She also wants to create a non-profit organization called “Dance Without Limits” to help young girls express themselves through dance. 

By Angela Nicoletti, Senior Writer,
Office of Media Relations and Communication