San Diego-A 14-year-old ballerina has a lot to be thankful for after donations from community members began to pour in to help him further develop his dance career.

Many children who have started a sport since childhood give up the sport a few years later, sometimes because the probability of reaching a professional level is small. Marcus Taylor is not like most kids.

“I really like expression and performance,” Marcus said. “This is really a beautiful art, very interesting on stage-jumping, turning around, making everyone happy.”

San Diego Native Ballet practises at Golden State Ballet 6 days a week, 5-6 hours a day. He has been there since 2019, when his talents allowed him to win a dance scholarship.

“When you know it, you know it,” said Cindy Huang, co-director and co-founder of Ballet Studio. “A kid like him won’t walk into your door often.”

The number of awards Marcus has won for dancing proves that he is ready for the elite level. He recently won the Youth American Grand Prix for the second consecutive year in Tampa, Florida. As a result, he won a tuition scholarship from the prestigious Princess Grace College of Monaco.

Marcus’ father was an active sailor in the U.S. Navy, which led to another scholarship from the YMCA of the Armed Forces.

“When you observe or see Marcus and his concentration and passion for dancing, I have no doubt that he will be a huge success,” said Tim Nei of the YMCA of the Armed Forces.

Even after receiving two scholarships, Marcus still had difficulty paying for food, lodging, travel, and food while abroad.His mother Ann decided to create GoFundMe page Help and donations started pouring in. Marcus has now exceeded his goal of $16,000.

“Thank you for your support and gifts to help me pay for the first year of the 3-year plan,” GoFundMe said. “Your help is more important than you realize, and your generosity overwhelmed me. Thanks also to those who are still giving, because all the extra support will be used to pay for the second year of the program. You can’t be thankful enough.”

He plans to start attending Princess Grace College this fall.

“You never knew he had this talent,” Raul Salamanca said. “He is really quiet, he works hard, he is confident [but humble]. “