Student Spotlight: Sophia-Bella Carrasquillo
“My favorite aspect of the performing arts is getting to use real-life feelings and experiences to portray characters that are completely different from myself. Stepping into someone else’s shoes and trying to find the small similarities between myself and the character is so interesting,” Sophia-Bella Carrasquillo said.
The 16-year-old actor has been a student at our AdventHealth School of the Arts since 2018—wowing us in five of our own youth theater productions over the years. She even won “Outstanding Performer” this past summer at our annual Applause Awards, which honor excellence in high school musical theater.
“I have never worked so hard, nor have I ever gotten such an amazing opportunity,” she said of the experience. “The people I met at the Applause Awards—not only all of the talented professionals, but the kids, too—are people I will never forget. Seeing all of the amazing talent from across Central Florida was just mind boggling, and the fact that I got to be a part of that was such a surreal experience.”
Then this fall, Sophia-Bella rejoined us as a company member of our Four Counts performance group, supported by AdventHealth.
“I’ve been a member of The Four Counts for a little over two years now and I am so grateful for it,” she said. “The fun we have, the memories we make, the experience we get…it’s incredible. I feel like I’ve grown these past two years because of The Four Counts. I absolutely love it.”
Speaking of her passion for the performing arts, Sophia-Bella was just 8 years old when she played Little Cosette in her first professional show, Les Misérables. And the rest is history.
“Theatre has given me my best friends and my most fond memories. It has taught me to stay motivated, to work hard, and that I am stronger than I think I am. It has gotten me through my lows and is usually the reason for my highs. I owe everything to the arts.”
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