Thursday afternoon a cheerleader was given a big surprise when she learned she would get to achieve her goal of meeting the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Natalie Mallett, 16, is a student at The Notre Dame School of Dallas, which has been around for 61 years and educates students with intellectual disabilities.
"She was born with Trisomy 21, Down syndrome," said Gary Mallett, Natalie's father. He said that hasn't stopped his daughter from achieving her goals.
"We just looked at it as a blessing from day one. You know, we didn't look at it as, 'Oh, you know, what's going to happen with her?' And, you know, 'Is she gonna have trouble with this or with that?'" Mallett said.
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While she excels in her school work, she is also very active with the Special Olympics and has been a representative for the school for the Dallas Police Department.
"She's just everything that we really expected, I mean she's just wonderful," said her dad with pride.
The 16-year-old is also a competitive cheerleader, and get's to show off her perky spirit. She's a flyer, the one who is thrown in the air.
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"Natalie is a big personality. She has so many friends and she came to us a little shy, so she has grown so much as a young lady. She loves to be active. She's a very, very good friend to others," said Principal Carmen Fernandez at The Notre Dame School of Dallas.
Natalie loves cheerleading, something school administrators know about too.
"That's been her goal, is to be a famous cheerleader," said Fernandez.
Thursday morning, she was a step closer to becoming just that thanks to a national nonprofit that provides special moments for kids with disabilities.
"You, me, your mom, dad, we get to meet the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and your dream is coming true," said Brittany Kicklighter, senior director of philanthropy for Dream On 3.
After the big reveal, Natalie was greeted by her peers with a big parade in the hallways. A limousine waited for her outside the school, in which she got a VIP ride home.
It's a taste of what she'll experience this weekend. She will meet the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders at the Cowboys Christmas Extravaganza and learn a dance. She and her family will also get the VIP treatment at the game on Sunday.
Dream On 3, a nonprofit founded in the Carolinas, has expanded to North Texas. It makes sports dreams come true for kids with disabilities. The group works with local volunteers to make these types of experiences a reality.
"We are just happy to be here to put a smile on Natalie's face and see her dreams come true and help her know that there are no limitations to her and her day-to-day life," said Kicklighter.
"We expect all of our students here at Notre Dame, or anyone, we all have dreams and we really promote their dreams and we have expectations that they can meet their goals and their dreams and they can become very important people within the community and contributing people within the community. That's one of our slogans is, 'No limits, just possibilities.' So we truly try to live that every day for Natalie and for all of our students," said Fernandez.
