Teresa plays Eponine in Les Miserables

Teresa plays Eponine in Les Miserables

After five years of ballet, at the age of twelve, I knew it was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

It was not the right fit, and I wanted something more. I had grown up singing around the house since my seven older siblings were musically trained and very gifted.

The inspiration of going into musical theater all started when my older sister received The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary DVD as a gift. I had grown up listening to the music and watching the movie, but this LIVE show was incredible! I had never seen anything like it! At that moment, I just knew that this was what I wanted to do.

I started with my one of my older sister’s voice teacher, and almost a year later I joined the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Performing Arts Center for the musical The Little Mermaid Jr. I landed the lead role Ariel.

From then on, I continued to study voice with my teacher as well as do theater classes and shows at the Patel Conservatory. In Oklahoma, I was Dream Laurey, in Fiddler On the Roof I was Hodel, and in Les Miserables I was Eponine.

I am sixteen now, and after almost four years, the musical theater still gives me such great joy and passion.

To have found and been a part of the theater community is truly a blessing from God. Musical Theater is important to me because it gives me a calling to be the best person I can be, inspires me to work hard, and gives me such happiness I cannot describe.

What did you do:

I was Eponine in Les Miserables School Edition. The shows ran from July 7th-17th, 2016 and every day was sold out. The show and our cast were also reviewed by BroadwayWorld.com. We did flash mobs at several events.

What organization recognized the achievement?

Patel Conservatory and BroadwayWorld.com.

How did homeschooling help you achieve your goal?

It helped me to become disciplined in my schedule and working on my own.

What are your interests?

My interests are Musical Theater, Voice, Ballet, Acting, Opera, Interior Designing, Photography, and Art.

What are you inspired to do with your life?

I am inspired to do whatever God wants me to do, and if it is His will, I would like to be on Broadway, tour with National Tours of musicals, as well as being in an opera, and have touring concerts.

What are your favorite subjects and why?

English, Algebra II and History are my favorite subjects. English is my favorite subject because it tests my knowledge on intellectual conversations and reason. I also get to learn so much on grammar, poetry, and classics which is very important in the theater. Algebra II is my other favorite subject because it is like a puzzle and stimulates my brain.

Finally, History is another one of my favorite subjects because I find it very fascinating to learn about the cultures and the lives of people as well as why and how our world is what it is now.