Q. Who are the members of your family?

A. I live with my mother, Eliana Ordonez and my grandmother Maria Salazar. My sister, Brianna Mora lives on campus at Penn State Berks, but she occasionally visits on the weekends.

Q. What do you most enjoy about being a senior at Emmaus High School?

A. What I love most about being a senior is the joy and relaxation of knowing all your hard work in academics and extracurricular activities pays off, and you are left to just simply enjoy the year with your friends and family. It is an exhilarating feeling knowing all the stress of college applications is over, and the satisfaction that all your hard work throughout high school has finally reached its final stride.

Q. What is your favorite subject?

A. My favorite subject is my AP Literature class with Ms. DiDona. I’ve always had a strong passion for English, and I love the challenging work we do in class with poem and literature analysis. Since the beginning of my freshman year at EHS, Ms. DiDona told me that she better see me in her AP Lit class my senior year, and I am so glad I am. The course really entices me, especially with our upcoming units on plays and novels.

Q. Have you received any special awards or recognition?

A. Throughout high school, I have received quite a few awards and recognition for my work in theater and music. I have received four Freddy Award nominations in the past two years, including “Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” for my work as Tony in EHS’ production of “West Side Story” in 2018. Aside from recognition for my involvement in theater, this past November I attended the All-National Honor Ensemble at Disney Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Fla., and sang with the top 240 musicians in the nation, as part of the mixed choir. I qualified for nationals back in July, after ranking first at the PMEA All-State festival for Bass 1, and had the privilege of representing District 10 and Emmaus at nationals this past year. Since then, I have also qualified and will be attending the All-Eastern festival held at Pittsburgh in April.

Q. What are your favorite extracurricular activities?

A. I participate in A LOT of activities and clubs at EHS, and I love each one so much! I am the president of the drama department, president of Fermata Nowhere, our male a capella group, secretary of our Chorale choir and I have also been a part of so many other groups, such as Boys Concert Choir, Select Choir, EHS Hornet Ambassador, National Honor Society, Freshman Mentor Program and the Tutor Coordinator Program as well. I love each and every one of my extracurricular activities so much and they truly have made my high school experience so much more fun.

Q. What is your next goal after graduation?

A. After I graduate, I will be attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in the fall. I was admitted to NYU back in December, and I cannot wait to be living on campus in Manhattan. I will be studying at Tisch for an acting BFA as my major, and I hopefully plan to double minor in communications and vocal performance as well. I love drama and theater tremendously and I am so excited to officially pursue my dream at NYU. Go Violets!

Q. What do you consider your biggest challenge to date?

A. My biggest challenge to date would most certainly have to be qualifying for nationals. I made it a priority to learn all my music extensively, practice diligently and dedicate each and every second of spare time to my technique and rehearsals. I spent countless hours on each and every piece from Districts, to Regionals and lastly All-States. I wanted to prove to not only myself and my directors that I was capable of achieving this task, but also show my fellow peers that a strong passion of willpower can help accomplish anything and that is something that I am truly proud of.

Q. For what would you like to be remembered?

A. I would like to be remembered for my endless passion in all that I do. It is truly an honor to be a part of all my activities and it is an absolute blessing to be able to pour my heart and soul out each and every day into my craft. I would want people to remember me for my boundless dedication, motivation and overall affection for everything that I partake in. My passion has granted me so many fantastic opportunities and it is a trait that I genuinely believe defines me as an individual.

Q. Whom do you admire? Why?

A. I admire my mother, Eliana, so dearly. She has always supported me 100 percent for all of my activities, performances, auditions, etc., and she continues to be my #1 supporter. She has provided her endless love, respect, and guidance and I couldn’t thank her more for all that she does for me. Without her, I wouldn’t be the person I am today, so I greatly appreciate all she has done for me and admire her the most.

Q. Do you have any advice for your peers?

A. My only piece of advice for my fellow peers would be summed up as follows: find what makes you happy and run with it. Run with it as far as it can possibly go. Never lose sight of your goals, and no matter what life throws your way, if you are committed to this one idea or hobby, you will exceed all expectations. Do what makes you happy and you will see so much more success in all that you do. But most importantly, take a minute, breathe, and appreciate all that is around you. If you do what truly makes you happy, nothing will stand in your way as you strive to success.