What did you do after Valley? Where did your life take you? 

Because of my opportunity to enroll in AP classes at Valley, I was able to receive a few college credits that I carried with me to Arizona State University which helped me in my endeavor to graduate in three years. During my three years at ASU, I also worked on writing and recording my first Pop/Country album recorded in Nashville. Since graduating, I have been performing and promoting my album working on launching my small business Laura Walsh Music LLC.

Tell us a little about your daily work:
As an independent singer/songwriter and small business owner, my schedule differs week to week. From booking shows, to organizing set lists and musicians for the shows, to networking with media related contacts and other music industry people, to locking myself away to work on writing a new song, I stay very busy.

What’s one surprising thing we don’t know about you?
I have a huge phobia of birds… mostly pigeons.

While you were at VCHS, which teachers, coaches or classmates had the biggest impact on you?

My two best friends Chelsey Hallblade and Alyssa Peelen have been incredible life-long, Godly friends that encouraged me and inspired me to be strong and independent! I look up to them both so much!

My cheer coach, Mrs. Block, has also been a huge example of Christ in my life. She was so encouraging to me during my time at Valley and on the cheer squad. I am so fortunate to have had a cheer coach who cared about more than just winning awards – she was always relating cheerleading back to life skills. To this day, I STILL apply her life lessons and analogies from cheerleading! I am so thankful for my time with her!

My choir teacher, Mrs. Heim, was a treasure that I didn’t realize I had at the time! Her training as a singer and as a teacher is incredibly valuable and rare to find in a school setting. The skills she had to help me hone and craft my voice many will people pay top dollars to acquire! I was so fortunate to have been under her instruction for a majority of my time at Valley. The skills I learned have been of tremendous help to me in my career path.

How do you stay connected with your friends from Valley and VCHS?
Facebook! Doesn’t everyone now? 

What’s one lasting memory you have of VCHS?
All of the Christmas shows put on at the end of the year. Christmas has always been a special and magical time of the year for me ever since I was a child, and going to a show like the ones we had every year just heightens the Christmas experience for me. This past year in 2013, I was asked to sing at the Christmas show as a special guest, which was such a blessing and an honor!

Do you have any advice for current students? 
GET GOOD GRADES!! I have NO student loans from college because of my academic scholarship! Take AP classes! Work hard in high school because it DOES pay off! And be Jesus to everyone there. High school is a time period where we as people tend to be very impressionable. You never know the regrets you may find later in life from the way you treated people or were treated yourself in high school.