Growing up on the score of “The Sound of Music,” senior Zoe Smoot dedicated her time to matching her voice to the vocals of the famous Julie Andrews. Teaching herself the words, memorizing the tunes, and listening as the sounds of the hills are alive echoed throughout the room. Smoot’s curiosity with the character Baronin Maria played by Julie Andrews struck her where the melody was dawning from. Her voice. The idea of being watched on television or someone from the audience admiring her from a dimmed crowd, enticed her.

In the third grade, Smoot’s teacher casted her in the class’s play as Goldilocks, in a spinoff of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This to Smoot was her final realization that this is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. From this day forward, Smoot has shined in every musical theatre production she has been a part of, from that first day as Goldilocks to being casted as Joanna in Sweeny Todd as a junior.

“Zoe has had a natural talent for singing and performing on a stage ever since she was a young girl,” Smoot’s mother Leslie said. “It’s going to be such a joy to watch her share her amazing talents with the world one day.”

Smoot started out with acting. Theatre was her main focus until she realized that there are more opportunities out in the word for actors who can also sing. Musical theatre came into Smoot’s life when she auditioned to be in Highland’s production of Grease. Being a freshman at a brand new school is frightening for every teen. Try getting up on a stage in front of hundreds of people and singing your heart out. Smoot experiences this every time she commits to a show.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” Smoot said. “But it’s also worth it.”

Smoot’s talent and determination for performing—may be it singing or the theatre—has recently led her to apply and be honorably given the sterling scholar award in vocal performance for Highland high school. She caught the eye of many, beckoning the attention of the scholar officials. With the award given to her, she will be moving forward to region and hopefully onto state to compete against the many other high schools.

“It’s incredible even being noticed,” Smoot said. “I’ve worked so hard to come this far. I guess it’s kind of cool being known as one of the Sterling Scholars representing Highland.”

With so many academic accomplishments, Smoot somehow makes the time to keep the performing arts as a main focus in her daily schedule. Zoe sings with Highland madrigals, which Leslie says, “has made my daughter the amazing accomplished singer she is today.”

Memory after memory performing with Highland and her best friends in the theatre and choir has given Smoot an outlook on life worth sharing. Her best friend, Harrison Lind, has been by her side through thick and thin. They have been acting and singing next to one another since they were freshman. Performing hand in hand in the last four years of productions put on by Highland. Grease, Once on This Island, Sweeny Todd, and this years’ show, Pippin. Smoot and Lind hope to go forward in their musical theatre careers as each other’s biggest critics.

“I think she’s a really brilliant performer. She’s got an incredible singing voice, of course. One of the purest voices I know,” Lind said. “She also is just really musically intelligent. She speaks music like a second language, and it’s quite admirable.”

Smoot is an outgoing, charismatic, and an all-around wonderful person to be around. She shines out more than just her beautiful voice. She is a person worth knowing. She surrounds herself with the things she loves most in this world.

Smoot has been accepted to Westminster and is waiting to hear back from other colleges she has applied to around the state. She hopes to accomplish everything she can by advancing in her singing and acting talents, so she can sound just like her childhood role model, Julie Andrews.