VOICE
FEATURE
I
Becoming a
n her junior year, Andrea Soliz, a student at Dysart High School, decided to run for SkillsUSA Region 5 President. “It was one of the hardest experiences I’ve ever had to do,” she exclaimed. No student had ever run for Region 5 President at her school, let alone won. “I didn’t have anyone to say, ‘hey you’ve done this before, can you help me?’” She had to go it alone. The process is rigorous, and includes interviews with the Board of Directors, essays, and a very intense speech. In fact, there are numerous rounds before even getting to the big speech part of it, where each student must address more than 1,000 of their fellow peers in Washington, D.C. When she finally did make it to the speech part, it was non-stop practicing. “Literally, when I would go on public transit, I would ask someone, ‘hey can I tell you my speech?’ And then I would do my speech for them.” When she finally got to the big moment, she attributes two sentences with solidifying her success and earning the title of Region 5 President. “As soon as I said those two sentences, light bulbs really clicked on around the room,” she said. Those two sentences are not just a part of a speech though. They define the past and future for Andrea, encapsulating her drive, determination, and success. “I don’t want to be a voice at all,” she wrote. “What I want to do is listen to your voice and amplify the voice that you already have, because your voice is not less important than mine is.” Andrea was originally born in Los Angeles near the 34 APRIL 2020
for others
Compton area. She was raised there until she was about six years old. “Living there, it wasn’t the greatest environment,” she shared. Once in Arizona, she attended Dysart Elementary School and Parkview Elementary School for her early education. Then she started to develop that sense of drive in 4th grade. She applied to the Cambridge Academy at Marley Park without even telling her mother. “My mother is my biggest support in the entire universe,” Andrea said. “She’s always been really supportive of everything. But she was never the person to push me, and say ‘hey you should join this thing.’” When Andrea was at Marley Park, she was going through a lot of things at home because her parents were separating. She involved herself in extra-curricular activities, and did every sport on campus. She was also the student council president and a member of the band. She currently plays five instruments: piccolo, saxophone, piano, flute, and ukulele. That involvement and creative outlet spilled over into her Freshman year at Dysart High School, where she created a documentary film. She went to Nogales to interview all perspectives, including border patrol, two humanitarian organizations, and a University of Arizona professor. “I tried to get perspective on the migrant crisis down there to make sure it wasn’t one-sided. We just need to educate ourselves about these issues that are happening around us.” The next year she needed a new challenge, despite
