Well-rounded Wildcat rises to the top

By ADRIAN HERNANDEZ

PERSPECTIVES EDITOR 

  In one moment, you see her playing a magnificent solo on her mellophone in a concert. In another moment, you witness her choreographing brilliant dances for school. As if you could not get enough of her, you then see her collaborating alongside many others in a various amount of activities. Meet the talented, resourceful and dazzling senior Allison Cautin. 

  Allison Cautin has gone through rigorous hard work and dedication through the many activities in her life and has become an ideal well-rounded individual. You will not only see her as section leader of the horns during marching band or choreographing dances but also a module Responsibility, Ownership, Adaptability, Resilience, (ROAR) leader, President of Friday Night Live and choreographer for quinceaneras.   

  Cautin’s passion for art and helping her community stemmed from childhood when her parents signed her up for many activities starting at the age of four. 

“[My love for the arts] started from a young age. My mom signed me up for dance, piano classes and many other extracurriculars,” Cautin said. “[However], music was the one art that [stuck to me most] because my parents always made me listen to music, even before I was born. My first dance performance was with my old Bolivian dance group on a Spanish television show called Univision. On the show, we danced traditional Bolivian dances for Bolivian independence day. I was just six years old at the time.” 

  As Allison grew up, she realized how much she wanted to pursue music, going as far as learning seven different instruments. 

  “In elementary school, I was in band and dance, but it was not until high school that I started to take it very seriously,” Cautin said. “I technically learned piano first, but the first instrument I mastered was the flute. I found [learning many different instruments] interesting because once you learn the basics of music you can apply that to other things [within the realm of music].”

  Throughout her life at Wilson, Cautin has enjoyed working on her dancing and musical passions through several experiences.

 “I have danced at many different concerts, choreographed the dance for band during the fall rally and I also have a side business where I choreograph dances for quinceaneras,” Cautin said. “During marching season in band, it is always the most exciting and tiring experience of the year because I have to collaborate with so many different people in various grade levels. However, working hard towards a goal together is [always worth it].”

    Even though a huge part of her life is within the arts, she is also very committed to helping people with the Wilson community as a whole.

“Being a ROAR module leader is probably the biggest step I have taken so far [in helping our school’s community],” Cautin said. “We basically plan out all of the ROAR lessons. I became a ROAR leader because I wanted to see what I could do personally to leave a better legacy, not just for myself, but for the school. It has been a rough past three years, and I said if I could do something to change at least one person’s life I think it would be worth it.”

  As a ROAR leader, Cautin has been given many great opportunities to connect with the rest of the Wilson community. 

  “Being a ROAR leader has changed me because it has opened up my perspectives to different types of groups on campus,” Cautin said. “We are such a diverse campus and community, yet we are all going to the same school learning the same lessons. We try to make each ROAR lesson have something taken out of it for each person.”

  Furthermore, Cautin helps out the community outside of school by helping out at elementary afterschool programs.

  “I am also a part of Friday Night Live, a club I created to help out my community. We go to elementary and middle schools and help out after school,” Cautin said. “We make sure that we provide them with supplies as well as help [supervise the kids]. I like being a part of Friday Night Live because you get to meet these little kids and get to help them tremendously in such a short span of time. I always feel like a superhero being able to help them with their homework, something they usually need the most help on.” 

  Through all of her struggles and experiences, Cautin has many great motivators in her life to keep her going.

“My biggest motivators have been my mom and the horn section [in band],” Cautin said. “My section is a big motivator because they always push me to do my best. They look up to me and that makes me want to do better for them. However, my mom is my biggest inspiration because she is very optimistic about everything and always finds the silver lining in terrible situations. [For example,] last year I injured myself during a dance routine and it was a hard realization of maybe not marching for my senior year. The silver lining my mom found from that terrible situation was that now I knew what I can and cannot do, and now I apply that [whole concept] to my life.”

  After graduating high school, Cautin hopes to continue her love of helping people by going to college and majoring in psychology.

  “I plan to go to a four-year college after high school, hopefully, UCI or USC, and pursue psychology,” Cautin said. “I hope to become a counseling therapist because I have always been someone who likes to take other people’s perspectives into consideration and help them by letting them talk out their problems.”

  Despite her end goal of having a career in psychology, Cautin still plans to continue her passion for the arts from her job of being a choreographer for quinceaneras.

  “After my own quinceanera, I fell in love with dancing, and I asked the choreographers at my quinceanera if I could have an internship with them and amazingly, they gladly took me in,” Cautin said. “They taught me how to teach and how to be there for the quinceanera for these girls’ special day. [And if I were to stop,] I would still be continuing these passions in colleges and see how much I can take from that dance and band experience.” 

  With Allison’s dedication and passion in everything she does, it is a definite guarantee that she will continue to be the extraordinary, warm-hearted and beautiful young woman she is today.