Taste of Talent

Chelsea Mendoza, Staff Writer / Photographer
March 22, 2016

A yearly showcase hosted by The Hispanic Culture Club, invites Downey High School students, to perform their talents in Downey’s theatre on March 11.

DHS Taste of Talent, had no limits for the unique talents that where performed in the show. People filled up the seats at both the 3:30 p.m. 0and 7:00 p.m. shows and were entertained with vocalists-who performed solos or duets-ambitious dancers, instrumentals and an improvision act by the Comedy Sportz team.

Mrs. Mercure, a Spanish teacher on the Downey campus, as well as one of the coordinators of the show, performed a Spanish folk dance with Mr. Vazquez, who also teaches Spanish, who gives her input on the show.

“The reason that I hosted the talent show and continued to host it every year, is to have a platform for students to grow, experience, and discover themselves,” Mrs. Mercure said.

For some students, stage fright is inevitable. Having to perform in front of a large crowd can be intimidating. It takes a lot of courage to stand on stage. The performers showed a strong devotion and love they have for their performance.

Denisse Alvavad, a vocalist who has been singing since she was four year old, was both really nervous and excited about her first performance in the talent show.

“Once the music starts playing all my nerves go away,” Denisse Alvavad, 11, said. “I feel like I am there for a mission to convey the message of my song.”

A strong motivator, Mr. Vazquez, who inspires his Spanish class to reach their goals and achieve their dreams, was excited to watch his students gain confidents in performing in the show.

“The talent show is a good way to see that everyone has a talent, Vasquez said. “It’s not just what you see on T.V.”

The talent show started in 2007 with a few brave acts of dance and song. Through out those nine years, students began to gain confidence and pride in what they were preforming. This year, more students brought a pool of diversity to the talent show with songs, dances, instrumentals and group performances.

Cultural Talent Show

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About the Contributors

Chelsea Mendoza, Staff Writer / Photographer

The thirst for knowledge was never quite quenched for, junior, Chelsea Mendoza. and a poet in 8^th grade was where her passion for literature began. Not only does Mendoza want to expand her knowledge, but she wishes to use her aptitude in writing to get people to know her.

“I love mystery and suspense,” Mendoza said, “anything I have to read twice.”

To indulge her passion for mystery and suspense, Mendoza wrote her own horror story imbued with enigmas and apprehensions, one morning in the Downey High School library.

“Chelsea’s story is very well descriptive, and has good imagery”, her friend Beatrice Pena said.

Mendoza’s passion for books, although originating from Stephen King, has been provoked by other books such as the Hunger Games, the Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, Me and Earl, and Mr. Mercedes. She does not like to know the ending of a story, but instead she loves the twists.

“A book is like a portable T.V., but travel size,” Mendoza said. “ I can read about stories that would otherwise be impossible in real life.”

Other than books leaving an impressionable mark on Mendoza, there is more to her love of reading. She is able to relate the mystery, and sometimes traumatizing events, that take place in her stories. She claims that the relationship that she shares with her mom is relatable to that of her stories.

“If I don’t want to listen to my mom yap all day, I can open up a book and dive into that world,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza wishes to use her passion for literature in a career some day. She either wants to be a writer for Teen Vogue or even a journalist for some other publication. She also considers being an author, writing the very books that she loves to read.

Cintia Macias, Co-Photo Editor

With little experience but her sister as an inspiration, senior, Cintia Macias joined the Downey High School yearbook staff the summer of her junior year, and later became photo editor for both, the school newspaper and yearbook.

“I’m really critical of my work,” Macias said. “Naturally, I didn’t think that me, out of all the other wonderful photographers on staff, would be photo editor.”

Having little to no interest in the subject, Macias took a liking to photography after an opening for yearbook, just a week before her junior year. At first not being sure, photography would later become one of her greatest passions, although she still had a lot to learn.

“I didn’t know how to teach her. It was an entirely new concept for her and she had no interest in it until about a week before she started her junior year. I couldn’t project what I knew and what was in my head to her,” sister Cindy Macias said. “I always love seeing new photos of events she goes to.”

While being shy at first, Macias has been able to develop many things thanks to photography. Having the will to learn, and being able to seek help from the then photo editor, Fernando Mandujano, Macias was able to come out of her comfort zone, meet new people, and become a leader, all while doing something she loves.

“She’s definitely learned to become more of a leader because of photography,” Mandujano said. “She can lead a group of photographers and she’s managed to teach them how to work with cameras.”

Macias plans on pursuing a career in photography in the future, with her goal being able to work for a big publishing firm and becoming a well-known photographer.

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Taste of Talent

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