Honor Society® member
Ella Youngstrom
- Performing Arts
- Class of 2024
- Upland, CA
Member since November 2023
About
I am a storyteller. Through acting, dancing, and singing I bring stories to life. Storytelling is a timeless art that transcends culture and has the ability to captivate, inspire, and educate. Acting allows me to delve into human emotions, explore diverse perspectives, and contribute to the art of storytelling in profound ways. As I craft the narratives, I share a culture's triumphs and tragedies.
My journey as a storyteller began when I was in first grade. I attended a friend's performance of Oliver and I was enthralled. It was as if I traveled through time and landed in London in the 1800s. As a child of a middle class family, I had no idea there were ever starving children. The actors definitely tapped into my emotions and made me wonder. I left that theater and knew I wanted to be on stage and tell the stories of others. Now, ten years have passed and I have performed in 35 musicals. I love every aspect of the stage, whether I am the lead actor producing most of the dialogue, or in the ensemble supporting the story with song and dance.
Honors and awards
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1st place
Science Fair-Behavioral Science 1st Place
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community service award
National Community Service Honor Award (United Nations Association of the USA)
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honor roll
California School of the Arts-SGV Artist Scholar
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honor roll
California School of the Arts-SGV Distinguished Scholar
Goals and interests
- Career goal
I cannot imagine a life with performing. Musical theatre is my passion! My career goal is to perform with regional and nation touring companies. This will give me the opportunity to see the United States while pursuing my passion. In order to achieve my dream, I am applying to schools with a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in Musical Theatre. These programs include training in singing, dancing and acting. My long term goals include opening a theater company for children so I can foster the love of theatre in the next generation. There are so many wonderful skills you learn when performing. The skills you learn when you are involved in live theatre transfer to all facets of your life. Some of the skills you develop include communication, problem solving, working cooperatively, public speaking and the ability to work under pressure. As a director of a children’s theatre, I can help children learn these important skills. My degree will not only help me achieve my personal goals as a performer, but will also enable me to impact the next generation.
- Outside the classroom
Musical Theatre
Tap Dancing
Ballet
Hiking
Spelunking
Volunteering
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Warrior for Children is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is helping children who have experienced trauma. They provide resources and supplies for these children as well as educate the community. I have had many opportunities to volunteer for this organization. I have wrapped hundreds of Christmas gifts over the past four years as well as setting up for their events but my favorite activity is when I get to work with children. Each year, they have a summer day camp where I am assigned to one student and I shadow them each day. Many of these children suffer from separation anxiety so it is important that I am committed to attending every day that my assigned child attends. Because many of these children are in hiding from an abusive parent, it is important I keep their identity under lock and key so no pictures can be taken of the children. I cannot release their name to even my friends and family. I feel very honored to be a part of the positive change in their lives.
Warrior for Children https://warriorforchildren.org/
Sep 2019 – Dec 2023
