Natalia De Anda: music and talent personified
Natalia De Anda ( Dylan Cooper/ The Puma Prensa)
By Dylan Cooper, Features Editor
I still remember my very first impression of Junior Natalia De Anda, after she delivered the performance of a lifetime in the 2024 spring musical: The Wizard of Oz. I went into the theatre expecting a pretty standard show, but was blown out of the water by the sheer level of talent each student portrayed. However, as soon as De Anda sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” I knew that this show was something special. I knew that she was part of what made it so special.
“I’ve been leaning a lot towards music and I’ve been in a lot of the big music programs that we’ve had,” said De Anda. She has proven to be an outstanding talent in Maria Carrillo High School’s musical department, taking as many classes as she can to heighten this talent. Her pursuit has led her to be a part of Carrillo’s “award-winning jazz band, jazz choir, treble choir, chambers choir, and the musical,” said De Anda.
She started down this path in her freshman year, taking a piano class during her introduction to high school. However, she really developed this passion in her sophomore year, the year in which she joined choir and took the lead role in the school musical. “As a freshman, it’s really hard to adapt to new pressures right away, so I didn’t put myself in anything big until my sophomore year,” said De Anda. Her leap into the musical craft is quite impressive, as she exudes a well earned confidence in both herself and her work. Her versatility to all kinds of music is another remarkable trait that De Anda was happy to express about herself. “There’s different forms of it and I don’t necessarily lean towards one side. Whether it’s instrument playing or musical theatre, I tend to take it all together. I don’t think I could continue without any of it.”
Aside from her talents in the music sector, De Anda has succeeded in achieving academic excellence throughout her time at Carrillo. She has managed to pull ahead in some of the tougher subjects, as well as spend quite some time mastering Spanish as a second language. “I come from Mexican heritage, and while we are more integrated into an English system at school, my family has made the effort to teach me younger to get started in Spanish, and I find learning the language to be a responsibility to both myself and to them,” said De Anda. She has put a great deal of time aside to focus on the subject in hopes to be fluent, so she can soon be considered bilingual.
Despite how difficult a task like this can be, she still powers through and triumphs in any area that tries to challenge her. On top of her successes in school, she manages to uphold a lively demeanor and amiable personality, making her a friendly face whenever she’s around. It is no easy task to exude such positivity while managing a variety of rigorous classes, but De Anda finds a way to do it, believing that her success derives mostly from “personal dedication, as well as parent support.” She does give homage to her parents for allowing and helping her to discover what path feels right for her. However, whatever motivation it may be, she proves to be an inspirational student when it comes to the quality of work she produces.
Looking onward, De Anda is still questioning what route to take moving forward, but hopes to find herself at a four year university after high school. With her accomplishments here at Carillo, I would be shocked if she would find anything less than that. De Anda’s mindset is in the right place, as she states, “my personal philosophy is, whatever I’m doing, I have to put my absolute best at it, even if I don't fully like it. That idea is what’s really been keeping me going these past few years.”