Even at a very young age, Math and Science Academy sophomore Leonyl Lazaga dedicated her time to musical arts through ballet. Now, she expresses her love for music by participating in a variety of extracurriculars such as the dance team, color guard, and percussion. 

“I took ballet when I was 4 years old, but when I went to high school I stopped to focus on mostly my extracurriculars and my education,” said Leonyl. “I did [ballet] for ten years.”

She believes that one of her greatest accomplishments is her ability to manage time. Even with a packed schedule, Leonyl still makes time for other activities outside of school.

“The day I get my homework I at least try to get ahead and do half of it or all of it. If not, I complete it the second day,” said Leonyl. “You have to balance extracurriculars, academics, family, and yourself.”

She is very enthusiastic about all the activities that she participates in and aims for perfection.

“Leonyl is by far one of our best dancers, she is an extremely talented, dedicated dance team member,” said dance team advisor Jordan Turner. “She learns dances faster than anybody I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

Leonyl is a sophomore, however, she has pushed to get involved in her school since she was a freshman. She participated in SCA general assembly, Student Advisory Board, Class of 2022, concert band, indoor percussion, dance team, Math and Science Academy, and Future Health Professions Club.

“In freshman year I tried a lot of things,” said Leonyl. “I just try to see what [the activity] is and see what I am interested in.” 

Among her many talents, Leonyl also plays various percussion instruments.

“I played a lot of instruments for percussion especially in middle school when I played snare drum, bass drum, xylophone, timpani, and auxiliary,” said Leonyl. “Now, I usually prefer to play the bass drum, timpani, and other auxiliary when needed.”

As a student who regularly performs in school assemblies and concerts, Leonyl is a well-known representative of the school, and she does not take the responsibility lightly. 

“Being a representative is putting your whole heart into it because you’re representing the school, so if your doing activities, you want to do your best,” said Leonyl.

Those who know Leonyl are very impressed by her ability to multitask during practices and performances. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Leonyl attends dance practice from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and percussion practice from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. On Saturdays, she also goes to percussion practice from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On some occasions, Leonyl performs multiple times in one night.

“It blows my mind,” said sophomore dance team member Fern Noble. “She starts performing on flag, then comes and takes her costume off, puts our shirt on, sprints across the field, performs and has the most energy out of all of us. How can one person have that much energy, and also do two AP’s?”

She is a positive influence and a role model to the people around her.

“Her energy is always contagious, she’s very positive and really good at bringing people together on the team,” said Turner.