By: Yohana Flores
Delia Aguilar’s journey through high school has been one fully immersed in the arts.
One of the most important things in Aguliar’s life is singing. She sang in her church choir at Iglesia Bautista la Fe at five years old and later joined chorus programs throughout middle and high school.
“I’m pretty sure I came out of the womb singing,” Aguilar joked. “My mom sings, my sister sings, my whole family, we’re all very musically inclined, and we all just love to sing. So, it’s always just kind of been with me.
“It’s just kind of been what’s defined me as a person,” she said. “It’s really helped me find myself.”
She credits both Alicia Jones, her chorus teacher at Carrington Middle School, and Riverside chorus teacher, Jill Boliek, for helping her grow as a performer and as a person.
“[Boliek] has always been in my corner,” Aguilar said. “I wouldn’t be doing any of this if it wasn’t for her.”
Although she had sung in choir for most of her life, she never expected theater to be come such an important part of who she is.
During her freshman year, Boliek encouraged her to audition for Shrek the Musical. Even though she had never acted before, Aguilar decided to take the chance and got an ensemble role.
“I was mostly nervous, because I had never done anything like that,” said Aguilar. Since then, Aguilar has become a more confident performer, starring in multiple productions and as the lead in both The
Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins. “It was so much responsibility,” she said. “I was so nervous, but it was so much fun to have that fun with the character.” Her most recent role as Mary Poppins became one of her favorite roles because of the character’s playful spirit and mean ingful values.
“I just related so much to [Mary Poppins’] values and morals,” Aguilar said. “I feel like I learned so much from that character because the whole story is just so beautiful, and there’s just so much good to relate to.”
Aside from performing arts, Aguilar played JV volleyball during her freshman and sophomore years before joining the varsity field hockey team as an upperclassman. “[The field hockey team] is just so accepting and welcoming. It’s another family, basically,” she said.
Balancing theater, chorus, sports, work, school, friends, and family has been part of the struggle.
“If you find someone that can do it perfectly, tell them to come to me,” Aguilar said. “I feel like it’s really just a learning process.”
As graduation approaches, Aguilar hopes theater and chorus will always remain part of her life, even if she is still figuring out what path she wants to pursue in college at UNC-Greensboro.
“Whether it’s on the side or it is my whole career, I never want to just completely drop it,” she said. “It’s been such a big part of my life that I can’t imagine myself not doing it.“
For incoming freshmen, Aguilar encourages students to get involved in the arts and not be afraid to express themselves.
“You don’t get another experience like high school again,” she said. “Do something fun. Whether it’s chorus, theater, band, orchestra, journalism, do something in the arts. Don’t be afraid to just be yourself.”
