South Florida may be the home of the next Blake Sheldon or Taylor Swift, and Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast is bringing them to the spotlight at the 14th annual Watch A Rising Star event.
Local young talent will perform for judges, and the final five will compete during the main event on Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. More than $13,000 will be awarded in scholarship money with event proceeds going to support JA classroom programs in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Hendry counties.
The performers are undergoing months of rigorous rehearsals and live performances leading up to the vocal competition finale. Participating singers are:
Emily Rynasko, 18, of Jupiter — The Pine School attendee dreams of attending Carnegie Mellon University, but until then, she is gaining performance experience in regional theaters, working in the visual arts and being the prefect of her school’s environmental program. She has also served as “mayor” of JA’s landmark JA BizTown, leading classmates in a real-life experience in the school-based program, where she was able to share her love of children by passing along valuable life skills.
Jana Jackson, 17, of West Palm Beach — A Dreyfoos School of the Arts student, Jackson has never taken a voice lesson and will gain valuable experience during the competition. No one took her dream seriously when she announced it at age 5, but soon family and friends discovered her outstanding abilities when she entered the rigorous Dreyfoos selection process with a perfect score. Even then, her struggle to prove herself continued and, while unable to afford private voice lessons, she was determined to work at it herself.
Dylan Jackson, 17, of Lake Worth — Another Dreyfoos student, he has played the piano since age 3 and arranging a capella pieces for nearly that long. His dream includes attending Carnegie Mellon (among other noted universities) and performing on Broadway. This may have been a challenge, however, when as a young child, he had a grapefruit-sized tumor on the side of his face. While doctors told him it would remain for the rest of his life, the tumor shrank. He took that as a sign that great things are in store for his life and he is determined to work to inspire others in achieving their own goals.
Celene Perez, 17, of Royal Palm Beach — A student at the King’s Academy, she dreams of a life in the musical performance industry. She loves volunteering and helping children throughout the community while working on her performing craft. Perez notes that she wasn’t born with her musical abilities but has had to work hard to develop them, starting with her first role as a spoon in her school’s production of Beauty and the Beast. She now regularly performs leading roles, including Carlotta in The Phantom of the Opera and as Mother Superior in The Sound of Music.
Gregorio Umana, 17, of Wellington — Umana believes in the power of music to transform lives. He plans on attending Indiana State University and continuing his pursuit of becoming a professional musician. The Spanish, German and English speaker knows firsthand the struggles of achieving his goal. Gregorio sees obstacles as an opportunity to overcome, and through achieving, inspires others around the world to fight for their education and work toward their dreams, like he has.
Maxime Pressert, 17, of Palm Beach Gardens — Pressert is thrilled to work with JA’s performance coaches during the competition to hone his vocal and performance skills. The Dreyfoos attendee has set his sights on becoming “a working actor.” Not necessarily on Broadway, but as a career artist. He also aspires to one day produce his own plays. Recently, he took a tour from Poland to Israel, where he experienced life-changing visits to Auschwitz (where his grandfather and namesake’s first wife died). The tour changed his perspective on the importance of Israel to the world and the importance of valuing life.
The Watch A Rising Star Gala will take place Feb. 13 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets to the black-tie-optional dinner are $200.
For more information, visit www.juniorachievement.com or contact Claudia Barto at cbarto@juniorachievement.com or (561) 242-9468.
ABOVE: Gregorio Umana
