Driven by Passion: Healing Minds, Covering Esports, and Dancing to Her Own Beat

Justine Pereyra at ALGs 2026 Championship in Sapporo, Japan. Image Provided by Justine Pereyra.

With a confident, commanding stride, Reno’s Luminescent Inspire Dance competition team seizes the audience’s attention before the music even begins. Six dancers beneath the hot stage lights stand with bandanas raised to their eyes, the audience in suspense. The opening beats to a remix of NCT 127’s “2 Baddies” and “Walk” blast through the auditorium, and in a swift motion the bandanas fly as the team bursts into choreography that shifts fluidly, each stomp landing with thunderous precision. Dressed in green, Justine Pereyra anchors the performance with sharp coordination and vivid expression, hitting every rapid beat cleanly, while her confident smile and fierceness command the crowd’s focus. The routine ends in a unified pose to roaring cheers, and at the end of the competition, dancers across Nevada sit hand-in-hand anxiously. In the stillness, the MC announces Luminescent Inspire Dance Team as the 2025 LVL UP EXPO ANX K-pop Battle champions. As supporters rush the stage and the team gathers around their towering trophy in tears, Pereyra’s quiet strength, her consistency, control, and unwavering support, shines just as brightly as the spotlight.

Luminescent won #1 best overall performance in the ANX Kpop Battles at LVL UP EXPO in Las Vegas. Photo by Learena Drake.

Justine’s passion for dance, healthcare, and esports is rooted in a relentless drive to turn her dreams into a reality. “Passion means doing whatever it takes to make your dream or your interests come true. Whether that is sacrificing long days or taking the liberty within yourself to do the hard work,” Justine proclaims. The real magic happens when she is chosen for projects that challenge her abilities, even when she is unsure of herself or unfamiliar with the dance style. “I am always a student,” she says. “I never want to believe I know everything because there is always room to grow.” Practicing the same routine is a process that lasts about three to four months, but when the audience sees the two minute routine in action, Pereyra puts her heart into it and lays it out on the stage. Despite not being a dancer at first, her commitment to the team made her stay. “Luminescent began as just friends wanting to be a part of something positive, now it consists of different people who are not only connected by dance, but by love.” She has been with the team for three years, and has made strides in NV Pride, Reno Public Market, Asian Moon Festival, and have gone out to multiple different states for showcases and competitions.

This dedication extends past performing, applying her passion in her work as a student in the Mental Health Counseling masters program. Pereyra aims to bridge the gap in mental health support for underserved communities, particularly the Asian-American community. “Mental health is a foreign concept for older generations. I want to be a resource and representative for Filipinos and Asian-Americans to advocate the importance of mental health services and resources,” Justine explains. Her experiences in healthcare, from interning with NRAP at the University of Nevada, Reno, working at Renown for five years, to launching RISE with John Hopkins, reflect her drive to be a resource for others and her deep desire to connect with people. As she studies multicultural counseling, she dives into the complexities of identity — race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and disabilities — learning how to better understand and support her clients.

What makes Justine’s path even more unique is her ability to balance two separate, yet deeply intertwined, careers. While pursuing her degree in counseling, Justine has cultivated a successful career in the world of esports and content creation. “I have two separate resumes,” she says, reflecting on her dual careers. “One for healthcare, and another for gaming and streaming.” Her gaming career began with side projects, gaining experience over the years previously working as a partnership manager for an energy drink company, in sponsorship management for an esports organization, and is now the director of content and social media for Supernova Gaming. “It’s super cool to see myself doing both,” she says. “I’m working in public health administration, and I’m working in business administration with Supernova. Both careers have helped me build the skills to be successful in one another.”

For Justine, gaming has always been more than just a hobby, it is comfort, a safe space where she found companionship as an only child. “Being an only child with no pets, my closest friend growing up was my Nintendo DS,” she says, recalling how she fell in love with gaming’s storytelling, artwork, and character design. “Gaming has always been a comfort for me. Little me would never believe that people could do this as a professional career.” Her passion for gaming fuels her career, managing creative content for Supernova and showing her perspective in esports as a woman. Her work in gaming and content creation not only taps into her love for the medium, but serves as a platform for growth and expression.

Justine’s journey has been shaped by passions deeply connected to her purpose. Inspired by her community, especially Luminescent, she values the hard work and growth they share. She strives to uplift others while honoring her motto about healthy boundaries, “Don’t light yourself on fire to keep others warm.” Motivated by role models like Alysa Liu, she embraces the joyful approach to life, quoting, “You cannot beat someone who is having fun.” As Justine continues to pave her path towards her future, she remains a light of passion and determination, whether its on the dance floor, her counseling work, or behind-the-scenes in esports. Her commitment to growth, her ambition to make a difference in her community, and her unwavering belief in the power of passion are the driving forces that guide her every step.

Story by Shinarra Agustin for the Reynolds School at UNR.

Justine’s journey has been shaped by passions deeply connected to her purpose. Inspired by her community, especially Luminescent, she values the hard work and growth they share. She strives to uplift others while honoring her motto about healthy boundaries, “Don’t light yourself on fire to keep others warm.” Motivated by role models like Alysa Liu, she embraces the joyful approach to life, “You cannot beat someone who is having fun.” As Justine continues to pave her path towards her future, she remains a light of passion and determination, whether its on the dance floor, her counseling work, or behind-the-scenes in esports. Her commitment to growth, her drive to make a difference in her community, and her unwavering belief in the power of passion are the driving forces that guide her every step.