AV Beat - Veronica and Charity

Blanton, the starting keeper for the Quartz Hill Rebels varsity squad this year, also sang the National Anthem before some games, including her team’s CIF playoff game. Charity has an incredibly busy schedule, which includes year-around soccer practice – she also plays club soccer for Cal Elite's U17 girls team. Her club team practices three times a week, but Charity supplements that with private Keeper training once or twice a week. An honor student, she has still been able to maintain a 3.6 GPA in the International Baccalaureate program, while pursuing one of her other passions, singing.

Charity took personal voice lessons for two years, and has participated in stage and musical theatre at Antelope Valley College. She is a member of the A’Cappella Choir at Quartz Hill High, and was a finalist in the Edwards Idol competition in 2005. Also one of Charity's goals is to tryout for American idol in the 2008 or 2009 season.

Charity will be singing the National Anthem at some Jet Hawks games this season. Her first performance will be on Monday, April 23rd.

If all goes well, Charity will be able to bring her two passions with her to college. Her dream is to get a soccer scholarship at a Division I school. She is undecided on her major, but she plans to minor in singing.

For the coming weeks, her focus will be the Jet Hawks performances, and protecting the net during her club team’s foray into the extremely competitive National Cup U17 soccer competition that begins on April 28th.

Some young people get overwhelmed with school and extra-curricular activities. For others, busy schedules help keep things in order. That's certainly the case with Veronica Vega, who manages to keep her priorities in place despite being pulled in several directions every day.

A sophomore, Veronica is an honor student at Palmdale High School. Having dreams of becoming a geneticist, Veronica also enrolled in the Palmdale High School’s nationally recognized Health Careers Academy as a freshman.

She has continued to enroll in Honors and AP courses, hoping that her strength of courses and high grades will catch the eye of some of the country’s prestigious universities.

Recently, with some encouragement, Veronica auditioned for and received a role in a play that is being performed by the Children’s Theatre class at Antelope Valley College titled “Monkey Magic”. The story is based on short pieces of comedy, drama, poetry and adventure that are linked by an enchanting monkey with an insatiable appetite for fun. The show will be performed once a week at several different elementary schools throughout the Antelope Valley beginning March 15, and running through the month of May. The show will also be performed at AVC on Saturday, April 21).

Between studies and rehearsals, Veronica plays for the Falcon varsity softball team. She has played softball since she was 5 years old.

Being pulled in so many directions is bound to cause conflicts. But, thanks to the support of all of the involved adults, including Mark Branner of AVC, her teachers, her softball coaches, and the administration at Palmdale High School, Veronica was able to enroll in AVC’s Children’s Theatre course as a high schooler so that she could receive college credit for her time and energy. Although, she will miss part of her schooling on the days of her performance, as well as be late for softball practice, Veronica has organized her time so she could continue to study when she’s offstage; no doubt, a busy schedule for anyone let alone a teenager like Veronica.

Although, she is an honor student, she is still a typical teenager. She still finds time to “hang” at the mall with friends, listen to hip-hop music, and read Manga books.