By Barrett Roberson.

Going into high school, most people just try to fit in. Very few, however, strive to make history.

Senior Hope Arrazola made the all-state choir in for the fourth consecutive year, a historic feat for an Abilene High student.

“Hope really has been exceptional in every way,” assistant choir director Remel Derrick said. “She from the outset, was a hard worker. She was passionate about what she did. And she has just gotten consistently better over the four years. And so this fourth all state honor is just a combination of all her hard work.”

According to Derrick, there has only been one other student recorded in Abilene High history to make the all-state choir four years in a row, making Hope the second.

“Auditioning my freshman year I had no idea what I was doing,” Hope said. “I thought it was just the region choir because it’s always in middle school. And then it was the COVID year, so we did it online. I definitely had to work a lot harder this year because my experiences and my skills and my talent have developed.”

Hope has been singing in choir since middle school, but it wasn’t until high school when she realized her true talent.

“The auditions are what made me realize, ‘Oh, I can sing, I have some talent,’” Hope said. “Because going into high school, I wasn’t really a singer. That was just what made me realize, ‘Oh, maybe I can do this.’”

Hope attributes these auditions to helping her grow as a musician.

“The audition process has definitely been the most beneficial thing for me as a musician and a singer,” Hope said. “I prepare the music starting in the summer at some choir camps, and then each audition is different music. It’s like studying for a test, you have to learn all of the material, but maybe not all of the material will be on the test. At state we sing the repertoire that was given out during the summer.”

These auditions all lead to Hope’s attendance at the Texas Music Educators Association, or TMEA, an honor only 1,810 out of over 70,000 students get.

“The TMEA experience is the highlight of my year every year, and this year was definitely my favorite,” Hope said. “I don’t know what it was about it, but I was just so present and happy.”

While Hope has plenty of natural talent, it takes more than that to get to a higher level.

“I prepare the music starting in the summer at some choir camps, and then each audition is different music,” Hope said. “Then at state we sing the repertoire that was given out during the summer.”

Hope plans to continue her music career by attending University of North Texas in Denton next fall to double major in vocal performance and music education.

“She shows me that anything is possible with hard work and determination,” Derrick said. “Hope is just absolutely determined.”