CJ Soriano is a freshman who dabbles in all the fine arts. From drawing to singing and even playing the flute, she can do it all. And if that wasn’t enough, Soriano is also a decorated Isshinryu karateka and was even able to climb her way up to a green belt, the 5th of 10 levels. 

Soriano started playing flute in just 6th grade because they were told by a teacher that they’d fit right in. 

“I started the flute because I wanted to do band, and after a lot of indecisiveness, I remember a teacher told me that I naturally had a good embouchure for playing the flute. When I tried it, the sound came out nicely, so I picked up the flute,” they said. Since then they’ve been progressively improving their flute skills, and by now can play difficult pieces well. They enjoy it whenever a piece comes out nicely, as do any listeners. 

“CJ’s flute is soothing,” freshman Ammar Husain said. Many of Soriano’s other friends agree, always asking Soriano to play songs for them.

However, Soriano doesn’t just play the flute. Their talent extends to other instruments as well. 

“I started learning guitar in 7th grade after deciding to join guitar club, but switched to ukulele because I found it much easier and more affordable,” they said. They’ve gotten very good at the ukulele, with many people always complimenting them after they perform a song.

“She is really good at the ukulele,” freshman Kyle Peterson said. “I’m jealous of her abilities.” A crowd favorite is ‘La Da Dee’ by Cody Simpson. Soriano even plays a little piano, after having taken lessons back in early elementary school. Basically, they’re a proud music nerd.

Besides having a love for music, they also like martial arts. Soriano started in elementary school because they enjoyed how the sport looked. They ended up staying to reach a green belt, as they felt it became necessary to know how to protect themself. They got pretty high up in the levels, and believe that even despite their height they’d be able to take on taller opponents.

In her spare time, Soriano enjoys reading manga or watching anime, like many others her age. Among her favorites stand the well-known and crowd favorite “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.” However, not all anime is great. An anime they thought got pretty bad after the first season is “The Promised Neverland,” an anime many fans were very hopeful about. Sadly, it did not meet the expected standards of many fans, one of them being Soriano. 

“I didn’t have enough time to really feel anything about an important event. Things were badly paced,” Soriano said. She almost didn’t even complete the anime, as it was just too off. “I still think it’s important to watch, it’s a really good story and there’s important stuff going on. It’s just that it feels so rushed, and so compact that it felt a little disappointing, considering how good the story is.”

They also enjoy singing in a capella, as they are a member of Tonal Eclipse. They joined as soon as they began their freshman year, but wasn’t able to attend many meetings and therefore wasn’t in the submitted video for the competition. They still enjoyed singing in front of friends though, and Soriano’s friends are very big fans of their voice.

“CJ gets super embarrassed about her singing, but to be honest I could listen all day. She’s really good,” Katie, an online friend, said. Katie isn’t the only one who thinks this, as all of Soriano’s friends give them compliments about their voice.

Among her friends, Soriano is the shortest of the bunch. This causes many lighthearted jokes about her height. 

“She’s so short that she could fit in my pocket forever,” Katie said. Other friends call Soriano nicknames such as “gremlin,” “troll” or “little punk.” This is all in good fun, as Soriano laughs along and enjoys these nicknames.

Soriano is, to plainly put it, awesome. From art with a pencil to art with music, she can do it all. Many would call her an artful genius, but all are proud to call her their friend.