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The Piedmont Highlander

The Piedmont Highlander

Cara Puscasiu channels Aguilera

Cara+Puscasiu+channels+Aguilera

Aspiring vocal artist freshman Cara Puscasiu dedicates hours of time and effort each day to perfect her passion: singing. She not only possesses the raw talent that enables her to sing and perform, but an intense determination to improve.

She first realized she could sing in the fifth grade when she took the leap from singing in the shower to performing in front of her entire school in the talent show while living in Germany. She performed “Starship” by Nicki Minaj and shortly after realized that singing was her calling.

“She went up there and nailed it,” Cara’s mother Valerie Puscasiu said. “We were amazed.”

Since then, Cara has performed in the school talent shows every year, taking time to prepare for improvement each time. Cara sang also sang a solo in this year’s A Cappella winter performance when the class sang “Mambo Italiano.”

“She performs every chance she gets,” Valerie said._DSC0702

Nerves are rarely a problem for Cara but if she feels shaky before performing, she steps into the spotlight and feels right at home.

“When I get on stage, all of those nerves just go away,” Cara said.

The combination of a wide range and a powerful voice allows Cara Puscasiu to perform with confidence and produce a sound that evokes emotion with every verse. Cara is inspired by singers like Christina Aguilera and Ariana Grande and their abilities to sing with intensity and strength, which are qualities she emulates with her own voice and music.

As a student and varsity tennis player, Cara manages her time between two hours of tennis practice and school work, never failing to spend at least two hours each day practicing her vocals or writing songs.

“She’ll sing for hours if we don’t stop her,” Valerie said.

As one of her main priorities and passions, she practices singing not because it is an obligation, but because she enjoys doing it.

“If there is anything I could do all day or even for the rest of my life, it would be singing,” Cara said.

It serves as not only as a hobby and passion, but also a way for Cara to translate emotions into song.

“Singing has helped her grow as a person because it’s a really good outlet for her,” Cara’s friend freshman Madeline Malan said.

Puscasiu has already begun recording and posting original songs on her YouTube channel with the desire to one day become a professional solo singer and songwriter. For now, she is focused on improving and writing her own songs until she feels as though she is ready to take the next leap in her career as a singer, whether that means recording songs or getting noticed for her talent. She hopes that her hard work will pay off in the long run and will set the stage for a successful future in singing.

“You just have to keep going, keep improving,” Cara said.

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