{"id":7232,"date":"2015-09-16T18:16:22","date_gmt":"2015-09-17T01:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=7232"},"modified":"2021-06-24T16:58:44","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T23:58:44","slug":"local-lowdown-girls-rock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=7232","title":{"rendered":"Local Lowdown: Girls Rock"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Girls Rock, originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s a great time to be a girl! The impressive accomplishments and uplifting attitudes of these three local teens are ample inspiration for all of us to work hard and dream big to make those goals a reality.<\/p>\n

Paige Hauschild: Athlete<\/strong><\/p>\n

Local water polo fans already know the name Paige Hauschild<\/a>: she\u2019s been a standout in the pool since she first started playing at age eight and is now one of the star attackers on the San Marcos High School<\/a>, 805 Water Polo Club<\/a> and Olympic Development Program<\/a> teams. At a mere 16 years old, she\u2019s also making a name for herself internationally. Last year, she played in Hungary. This spring, she competed in New Zealand with the\u00a0USA Water Polo Women\u2019s Senior National Team<\/a>, alongside Olympic-level athletes, some almost twice her age!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lot to juggle\u2014along with school work, family and \u201ctrying to hang out with friends at Hope Ranch Beach as much as possible\u201d\u2014but Paige does it all with characteristic grace and skill.<\/p>\n

She offers this advice for other up-and-coming athletes: \u201cIt definitely takes a lot of commitment and, as hard as it always seems, it always gets better. Everything always pays off. I went through a time when I felt just overwhelmed with water polo when I was younger and, as you get older, you kind of accept that it\u2019s kind of what you need to do if you want to play at really high levels\u2014you have to keep playing. You have to be committed. It\u2019s been amazing. All the hard times definitely paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed they have. She\u2019s already been on college tours of her dream schools UCLA<\/a> and Stanford<\/a>) and has set her sights even higher, saying, \u201cIt would be a dream come true to go to the Olympics, and I really hope that I get to.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be rooting for her all the way.<\/p>\n

Aija Mayrock: Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

A victim of bullying in elementary and middle school, 19-year-old Aija Mayrock<\/a> claimed her power back with a vengeance as the author of The Survival Guide to Bullying<\/a><\/em>, recently published by Scholastic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne day, I realized that I had to create a little, yet powerful survival guide that any kid could use as a life-saving device when they were being bullied in the gym, the cafeteria, the locker room, the classroom, the hallways\u2014anywhere. A guide that could be a road map, a flashlight or a friend,\u201d says Aija, who graduated from Anacapa High School<\/a> and is now a student at New York University<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Aija originally self-published the book, because \u201cwe wanted to just help kids. \u2026I wanted it to be as cheap as possible for every kid. But then it was just a dream when Scholastic came along.\u201d The contents\u2014including her original Rap poems or \u201cRoams\u201d at the start of each chapter\u2014are much the same as in Aija\u2019s original book. \u201cThey loved it, and it basically is as is; we deleted a chapter and, we added a really wonderful chapter called \u2018getting help.\u2019 Then we did a Q&A with myself and an epilogue.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gives much of the credit for turning her life around to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival <\/a>(SBIFF). When she and her family moved to town after eighth grade, she wrote her very first screenplay on the day of the deadline for SBIFF\u2019s 10-10-10 student film competition. It was about bullying.<\/p>\n

Aija won that competition and says, \u201cI\u2019m so grateful to them because this book would not be here if I had not found my passion through that competition, which is so incredible because it\u2019s accessible to any kid in this community.\u201d Now, in addition to her college studies, Aija travels to speak to kids about bullying, as well as pursuing her other interests in writing, acting and being an activist.<\/p>\n

As for taking center stage and speaking out against bullying, Aija says she\u2019s conquered her fears. \u201cThere\u2019s a quote that I now live by. It\u2019s, \u2018Everything that you\u2019ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Sydney Shalhoob: Singer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Santa Barbara\u2019s 2015 Teen Star <\/a>winner is hardly new to the stage. Now a 15-year-old sophomore at San Marcos High School, Sydney Shalhoob <\/a>began singing when she was three years old, with pipes so impressive
\nthat professional sports teams took notice, resulting in invitations to perform the National Anthem for the Lakers, the Kings, the Dodgers, the 49ers, the Sparks and the Angels (for seven seasons)\u2014all while still in elementary school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always loved to sing,\u201d says Sydney, who wowed local audiences at\u00a0Granada Theatre <\/a>last spring with a soulful delivery of \u201cCreep,\u201d by Radiohead<\/a>, to take the top Teen Star<\/a> honor, which earned her a slew of performing opportunities, a bit of cash to further her musical career and a professional recording session at Santa Barbara Sound Design<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although she worked as a professional model from age three to 11, and tried her hand at acting (\u201cI was not the best actor,\u201d she laughs), Sydney has always had a song in her heart and hopes to study voice in college one day. She currently studies under Carolyn Teroka Brady<\/a> at San Marcos, participating in the A Capella and Enchante singing groups. She was an alternate the first time she auditioned for Teen Star, which Sydney admits, \u201ctaught me a lot. We grew up together, and we definitely grew as singers. I think being a part of Teen Star is my biggest accomplishment at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

That may be true, but keep an eye\u2014and an ear\u2014out for this rising star. We have a feeling that you\u2019ll hear a lot from her for many years to come.<\/p>\n

\u2014Leslie Dinaberg<\/p>\n

Originally published in the Fall 2015 issue of Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Share this:<\/h3>