The Story of a Girl Who Does it All: Elle Pinheiro

By Solomon Burciaga

If someone asked you, what made you, “you”, what would you say? Everyone has their own special trait. It’s what defines you, and makes you who you are.

For some, it could be playing a sport and scoring the game-winning touchdown. Others dedicate their time to taking pictures and creating beautiful galleries.

Some kids will travel the States just to attend business conferences. Some people can be so skilled at video editing that their pieces win competitions. Another amazing person can be an author at just 16 years old.

These are often referred to as talents, which is a natural skill. It takes work, technique, and dedication to be able to hone these abilities, to the point where most people tend to focus on a singular talent. 

On rare occasions, there are those few exceptional people who are dubbed multi-talented. One of these people being Elle Pinheiro, ’26.

At just 15 years old, Pinheiro is an actor, singer, and dancer. A triple threat. She is a part of the Chamber Choir, Advanced Dance, Ranger Choir, Hip-hop, and the upcoming musical Mean Girls.

Her day begins with waking up at 6 AM, where she then gets ready to attend 7 classes. 2 of them are for Choir, another 2 are for dance, and the rest are core classes.

Depending on the day she will either spend her time after school rehearsing or dancing in a studio.

She says, “I’ve danced since I was six, and I’ve been doing drama since 4th grade.”

Juggling so many advanced extracurriculars it seems natural to be burnt out, but Pinheiro defies the odds. She says “I think the arts are interesting and always new, so me personally I never get tired of it”

When people succeed, history has shown that they develop criticism, or people who doubt them. She shares some of the harsh comments that she has received. “You’re not good enough for this. You’re not good enough for that. I don’t think you should do it. That’s weird.” 

“At the end of the day, it’s what you like doing and how much confidence you have in yourself. I wouldn’t change anything. I like everything I’m doing right now.”

Audrey Roper, ‘24, has been participating in drama since middle school. She is playing a lead role alongside Pinheiro in Mean Girls.

Roper shares that she first met Pinheiro in middle school at callbacks for the play Aladdin. They both participated in TCOE (Tulare County Office of Education) which is famous for its drama program. 

Roper says, “I was a little intimidated because she was so young and extremely talented, it quickly went away as I realized how humble she is.”

Both Roper and Pinheiro work very closely together as Pinheiro was cast as Karen in the musical, and Roper as Regina George. Roper says “It’s kind of funny. Sometimes it’s hard to tell when she’s being Karen and when she’s not. I always feel bad when I yell at her [in character], but she does a really great job at taking it.”

The two of them also perform in Choir together. Roper says “She’s in Chamber as a Sophomore, which shows something, and she’s able to keep up with the rest of us who have been in it longer.” 

Mr. Carrillo is the Choir teacher at Redwood. He first noticed Pinheiro when she attended his Women’s Chorus class last year. He says “She’s very fun to be around. She’s also very professional. I think she carries herself with a maturity that’s beyond a Sophomore.”

“She’s reliable. She shows up prepared.”

Carrillo describes singing as requiring more skill than is commonly thought. He says “Everyone can sing, but at what level you’re gonna sing depends on your training.” He adds that the people who train or practice outside of school have a more “polished” sound.

He then adds that some people are naturally good at producing sounds. Pinheiro is new to the Choir, but has been seen to have a natural talent.

With his level of expertise, Carrillo says, “I don’t think she’s reached her full potential. She has a lot of upside potential.”

Sara Sozinho, ‘26, is another talented Sophomore, as she is a member of Dance Force. Sozinho is involved in Hip-hop dance with Pinheiro. She shares that they first met at the dance studio they both attend, Dancers Edge. 

“I thought she was such a good dancer and I followed her on Instagram and then we started becoming friends.”

Even though they both attend the same studio, they don’t take the same classes so Sozinho says that she started dancing with Pinheiro this year, in their Hip-Hop class. Sozinho says, “I’m now super close with her. I’m so glad she came into my life”

“She picks up choreo really well, and is a really good dancer”

Isaiah Zamora is one of the instructors at Dancers Edge, who teaches Jazz, Lyrical, and Hip-Hop. Zamora is relatively new to being an instructor, which naturally creates a special bond between him and his first students. 

Zamora says, “Elle has progressed at a great rate during the course of working with me. Her work ethic is outstanding.”

Not only does he teach but he makes sure to get to know the students on a personal level. He says, “Elle has a kind soul and she is always willing to take initiative to lend a helping hand.”

He shares a memorable moment of first seeing her dance. “When I first saw her dance to my choreography [I] noticed the quality she has.”

Elle Pinheiro can be seen as a symbol of drive, dedication, and what it means to chase your dreams no matter what.

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