In 1999, Chiufang Hwang tried out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on a whim, and the experience was an epiphany. -That day in Texas Stadium, I finally understood what I had missed out on in high school and college growing up as the eldest daughter of Taiwanese immigrants. I felt so special. I felt included. I felt more like a teenage girl than when I actually was one. But mostly, I felt so American.-

Since then Hwang has participated in more than ten Cowboys Cheerleader tryouts, becoming a fixture at the annual auditions. Besides loving competition, pushing her limits, and...