The talented singer Ashley Souza, senior, will continue her road to fame in the fall as a major in vocal performance and music management at the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

“I would like to be a singer now but I want to go to school and learn how to be a manager first,” she said.

By majoring in music management, she can get a feel for what goes on in the music business and at Berkley they have gig boards where she can sing for an audience.

Ashley has sung the National Anthem for several of the events at our high school, such as the Sports Awards and the girls’ and boys’ basketball games.

Last summer she attended a six week singing camp in Tanglewood which was sponsored by Boston University.

Ashley’s favorite movie when she was younger was the Wizard of Oz. She adored Judy Garland and looked up to her as a singer. She started listening to Judy’s CDs and the style of Judy’s music contributed to what style Ashley likes to sing. Ashley also grew up emulating Whitney Houston.

For anyone who wants to follow in Ashley’s footsteps, she feels the most important thing is to “take care of your voice and stay in good health.”

She also says to choose a good school that will prepare you for the music business and get to know a lot of people who can also help you.

“Practice,” she said, “and don’t ever be afraid to perform.”