Jessica Carmona, a rising senior at Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Catholic School, was recently honored with the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Female Fine Art Student of the Year award.
Jessica is a top student who was named a College Board National Recognition Program Scholar and won TAPPS 4A State Championships this past school year in two separate events: Prose Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation. Jessica was also TAPPS 4A State Runner-Up for Prose Interpretation her sophomore year.
Jessica began her dancing career at the age of three and has danced with the TJC Academy of Dance for the past five years. Jessica has also served as choreographer for the St. Gregory Cathedral School musical for the past two years. In addition, Jessica has played the violin with the Bishop Gorman orchestra since 8th grade, was a member of the Regional Middle School Honors Choir for two years, and serves as a cantor at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Jessica has also been a standout performer in One Act Play competitions, All School Musicals, and Magill Musical Theatre Studio productions. Jessica was recently accepted into the prestigious Pre-College School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University with a full scholarship and is spending six weeks this summer on campus studying different aspects of Musical Theatre and working on college audition material with Carnegie Mellon's professors. Jessica plans to pursue Musical Theatre as a career.
According to Suzanne Liles, Bishop Gorman’s Choir Director, “This vivacious young woman, talented almost beyond belief, is also one of the most humble, kind, and caring individuals I've known at Bishop Gorman. While her academic achievement alone is impressive, Jessica excels in all of her Fine Arts: Dance, Violin, Voice, Piano, Theatre, and even Visual Arts. She dances 2-3 hours every day and still finds time to assist other musicians, to choreograph shows, and to sing at church.”
Bishop Gorman Orchestra Director Tina Beason concurs, adding, “Jessica is an absolute joy and blessing to teach. She strives for excellence in all that she does, but not to make a name for herself. She is one of the most humble people I know. She strives for excellence for the joy of doing so, to glorify the Lord, to be a blessing to others, and to make use of the many gifts that the Lord has given her. She lives her life as a leader before others, with integrity, kindness, joy, and Godly character.”
This marks the second consecutive year that a Bishop Gorman student has been honored with the Fine Art Student of the Year award. Sloane Salitore ('21) received the 2021 TAPPS Fine Art Student of the Year award.