Hi friends! Candess here with the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders, and I'm so excited to share with you all a little more about myself and to help you get to know me better...

1. What is your career outside of WRC?

Outside of cheering for the Washington Redskins, I work as a Software Engineer here in the nation's capital for a strategy and technology consulting firm headquartered in northern Virginia. Currently, I am working on a task where my role is to conduct performance tests to measure the maximum workload, speed and stability of different software systems. The technology industry is so fast paced, so I'm constantly learning new things and applying innovative concepts.

2. How do you prioritize your time among all that you have going on? (job, WRC, free time, family/friends, etc.)

Being a Washington Redskins Cheerleader, which is a huge time commitment while maintaining a full time job, has become a balancing act that I continuously work on and improve as I go. Many people don't consider the work that we cheerleaders put in off the field, like making time to maintain our fitness level, nurturing our social relationships, reaching out to our communities, practicing our dance moves outside of rehearsal and simply taking time out to care for ourselves. Because of this, I like to plan my life in weeklong increments, and establish a strict schedule of what needs to get done and take everything a week at a time.

3. What is your proudest accomplishment in life so far?

My proudest accomplishment in life so far is a rather recent one: graduating from college. It's an absolute privilege to get a college education, so I do not take for granted that I was blessed to have such a great support system to help me reach that milestone. It also means a lot to me that I graduated from the University of Maryland - the same university that my mom, dad and little sister graduated from. All we have left to join our Terp family is my younger brother! Although he's just in elementary school right now, I admire the example my family has laid out for him to aspire for academic success.

4. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

If I was absolutely FORCED to only eat one meal for the rest of my life...I would have to choose a side dish actually: french fries! They are hands down my guilty pleasure, plus they come is all types of shapes, sizes and seasonings, so I could still spice it up if I ever got tired of a particular kind (which is still probably unlikely, lol!).

5. Aside from necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without and why?

Aside from necessities, one thing I absolutely cannot go a day without is my phone charger! Many days out of the week I leave the house very early in the morning and do not return until late at night. In-between, I use my phone during the day to check emails, browse social media, follow the GPS and open up the camera as my mirror to do my makeup (lol!) which all kill my battery pretty quickly.

It's so wonderful to be able to reach you all in a different way, but interacting with you at FedExField on game day will always be my favorite. Hope to see you soon and then we can debate on which type of french fries are the best :) Hail to the Redskins!