Keloland
She can do it all: singing, acting, real estate, starting a charity. No, we’re not talking about Beyonce, Lady GaGa, or any other Hollywood mogul. We’re actually talking about a student right here in KELOLAND. Tatiana Chance is only 18, but already she’s looking toward her future by working hard now.
Separately, students have different voices. When they put them together they’re a choir. Chamber Choir at New Tech High School in Sioux Falls is where you’ll find Tatiana.
“I am a theatre person and a lot of songs, you can tell a story,” Tatiana said.
Tatiana’s story is a real page-turner. When you meet her, you’ll find her personality is as infectious as her laugh.
“I’m kind of a naturally bubbly person. I got called Dopey a lot in choir in middle school, because I try to remain positive,” Tatiana said before breaking out into a case of the giggles.
There’s nothing dopey about Tatiana. She’s a top notch student and is also president of her high school’s National Honor Society. Beyond books and the confines of the classroom, she’s involved in a lot of activities. Actually, there’s so many, sometimes she needs a reminder.
Pam Green: “You’re a titan ambassador.”
Tatiana: “I am! I’m a Titan ambassador. Whenever people come to our school, I give them a tour of how it is.”
Ambition and passion are what guide Tatiana. In addition to being a full-time student, she has also been taking night classes and is one state exam away from earning her real estate license. Did we mention she’s only 18?
“Real estate is kind of a passion of mine and I really love learning about it. The laws and I love looking at houses,” Tatiana said.
That’s not the only foundation she’s building for herself. She also is interested in becoming a teacher, and is currently enrolled in a program that’ll help her decide. There’s more. For a graduation requirement, she volunteered in the school cafeteria. She impressed staff members so much, they asked her to keep working there.
“How she keeps up, sometimes I do not know, because she is always working hard,” Green, Tatiana’s teacher, said.
“My mom is like my biggest role model with that. She’s a really hard worker. She raised me on her own. She’s a single parent and she owns her own business,” Tatiana said.
Tatiana is working hard to make a difference. She started a non-profit that collects and distributes feminine hygiene products to women in need. She routinely delivers them to places like St. Francis House.
“I get a lot of people who say I’m an overachiever and I’m just trying to be a teacher’s pet, or something like that. A lot of it is just because I want to be able to help people,” Tatiana said.
Green says it’s nice seeing a student show an example of what being a leader looks like.
“Times are changing and now women are given the capacity that if they have those skills, they can do anything they want to,” Green said.
“To defy those stigmatisms that our generation isn’t doing the right things and just being able to be a voice in our community, saying, our generation can do good things,” Tatiana said.
Students like Tatiana Chance stand out from the crowd, but she hopes others are inspired to make a difference, because just like a choir, everything comes out better when different people work together.
“We have the sopranos, we have the altos, we have the tenors, we have the bases. Individually, yeah, you can do cool things but when you all go together then you can create this beautiful piece, or this beautiful…something. You can make something beautiful, honestly,” Tatiana said.