Senior Spotlight: Ysabel De La Pena

Ysabel has played both clarinet and euphonium in the Music Department She excelled on euphonium and her favorite piece was "October" by Eric Whitacre. She looks forward to majoring in Neuroscience next fall even though she already took care of much of her college credits.

Instruments: Euphonium

Plan for the future: I'm unsure. It depends on the pandemic. However, I am planning on finishing my undergraduate credits this fall. I hope to major in Biopsychology/Neuroscience.

Travel aspirations: If I were taking a gap year, I would go to Australia.

Proudest accomplishment: My biggest achievement in high school was keeping a grade-point average of 3.8 and above.

Favorite Memory: There are so many good memories I've had with my friends. However, if I had to choose one, it would be after one of our Marching Band competitions with the 2018 Baritone section. After the show, we went back on the bus and I remember someone was blasting Sweet Caroline and it was an inside joke with Jo Tupou. So, we all started singing, shouting, and laughing the lyrics. I wish I could go back to that time with my friends. I think that was the best section out of all my years in Marching Band.

Favorite musical piece/tune from high school: My favorite piece from high school is "October" by Eric Whitacre.

Most underappreciated thing about high school: The most underappreciated thing I will miss at school is Ms. D'andrea's English class.

Quarantine activities: With all of this time in quarantine, I have been baking and I enrolled in summer classes.

What I've been watching in quarantine: I'm currently binge-watching “The Originals” on Netflix.

What part of the ACHS Music Program has had the most impact on you and why? The ACHS Music Marching Band has had the most impact on me because I made so many friends and I was introduced to the Euphonium.

What would you say to your freshman self about the Music program if you could? I would say to my freshman self, prioritize time wisely and don't get caught up in the band drama, it's all unnecessary.