Senior Kira Caldwell was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and at an early age of three months old, she moved to Oregon City. Now, she lives in Milwaukie.

Caldwell attended Holy Family Catholic School, and is happy to say she has stayed in touch with many of her friends from that community throughout her time at La Salle. “I met some really fun people there, and I’m still friends with a lot of them today,” she said.

She chose to go to La Salle because of how close to home it is, and the benefits she gets from its small size. “I also just love the campus,” she said. “I love the size. It’s pretty small, and I love just being able to recognize a lot of people in the hallway.”

“I don’t think I could picture myself going to any other high school that I was looking at before,” she said.

Her favorite class so far has been Marine Biology, taught by science teacher Mr. Ryan Kain, which she took her junior year. She especially liked the end-of-class field trip, which she described as a “very unique and memorable experience” tide pooling and visiting the Newport Aquarium.

Math is the class Caldwell most enjoys, which she explained is because she finds math problems satisfying, as they have one solid answer.

Caldwell’s favorite math classes at La Salle have been AP Calculus AB, taught by math teacher Ms. Kathleen Jahn, and Honors Algebra 2 and Trigonometry, with math teacher Mr. Linus Oey.

Outside of school, Caldwell devotes her time to dance at Studio One Dance Academy, where she has been dancing for 15 years, 12 of those devoted to competitive dance. She does six genres of dance: acrobatics, ballet, hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, and tap.

For Caldwell, performance is the most significant aspect of dance. 

“To me, when I’m on stage, it’s not just about the movements,” she said. “It’s about telling the story.”

Some of her favorite memories include her team going to nationals every other year at the end of the dance season. “It’s a great way to end the year, and we get a lot of team bonding experiences, because it’s not just about dancing in the classroom, but it’s also about building strong relationships with each other,” she said. 

Caldwell is often busy with academics and dance, but when she has free time, she enjoys shopping at Clackamas Town Center, hanging out with her brother, and listening to music. “I love music so, so, so much,” she said. “I’m always listening to music no matter what I do.”

Her favorite genres of music are pop and alternative, but she is open to all genres. Caldwell’s favorite artist is Ariana Grande.

Caldwell admires Grande’s voice and videography. “Her production in her music is so amazing, and her voice is so stunning,” she said. She especially enjoys the newest album, “Eternal Sunshine.” “I’ve been like, ascending every time I listen to it,” she said.

Caldwell’s love for dance and music has led her to desire a professional job in the performing arts and cinematography. While she doesn’t know what exactly she hopes to study, her top choice for college is Loyola Marymount, located in Los Angeles, California.

Her piece of advice for incoming freshmen is to go talk to your peers. “Try building those strong connections right off the bat,” she said.