Hayden Gonzalez is a spectacular sophomore here at MHS. If you’re not involved in the music department, you may not know her, but if you are, you understand that she is basically a local celebrity.

She’s in band, orchestra, choir, Key Club, marching band, show choir, jazz band, student council, mariachi, and full symphony. So essentially anything she can do, she’s already done, and with maximum effort.

“I practice a lot. Especially when the audition is Saturday and it’s Monday, I try to practice all week,” she said, adding, “I mostly practice on the weekends though, like three hours.”

Many high school students have short attention spans, so to be able to practice for three hours is impressive. This dedication to all of her instruments, the bassoon, violin, and marimba, is what has gotten her so far. Her main show for this is her admission into all-state band every year that she has auditioned.

For most of this, she gives much credit to her mother for always supporting her ambitions, something that they share.

“She’ll do anything. Like if we have like a random practice, then she’ll be like, ‘okay, sure, I’ll drive you there then,’” Hayden said about her mom.

Even with her crazy schedule, Hayden finds ways to keep herself on track, even with her academics being just as advanced as her electives. To some, this may seem like too much to handle, but Hayden just sees it as an exciting challenge.

“I try to be productive in class so I don’t have much homework, and I still make time to hang out with friends and my family,” she said. “I’m an organized person and keep a schedule, which helps with all the activities.”

For the rest of her high school career, she simply hopes to continue getting good grades and improving her musical skills. But, unlike most, Hayden envisions herself continuing to pursue music in college, presumably both band and orchestra.

“I like the band. I like the orchestra. I’m equal. It’s really hard to choose,” she said.

The dreams of those around her encourage her even more, whether it’s her mom, who chose to focus on sports rather than the saxophone, or Mr. O’Shaughnessy, whose passion took a few sharp turns over the years; her excitement only grows as she hears of the struggles.

So, if you didn’t know of Hayden Gonzalez before, I hope you understand just how great she is now, and how much she is capable of. And, if you see her struggling to carry both of her instruments out of the school, offer to help, because she truly does deserve a personal assistant.