It was just another day at school for 18-year-old Shreya Bhadriraju, a senior at Elkins High School in Sugar Land, Texas, USA until she got selected for the 2017 US Presidential Scholars programme, that honours exemplary academic and artistic excellence.
Shreya is among 60 students who have been selected for this programme and though it’s only been a few days since she received the news, it apparently ‘hasn’t sunk in’. “I received the news when I was at school. So, I immediately texted my family and they were very excited,” says Shreya, adding, “The programme is very competitive. I am still having trouble grasping the fact that I have been selected for this huge honour.”
Born in Michigan, Shreya was selected as a Presidential Scholar Candidate through the National Young Arts Foundation, and the process was not an easy one.
“To be an art nominee, you have to be selected as a Young Arts Winner, so I had to apply to the Young Arts Competition. Once I was selected as a winner there, I was interviewed for the nomination,” says Shreya, who has been selected for her Opera singing. Shreya started training in Carnatic music when she was only four and Western Classical Music when she was in the eighth grade, but it was when she was in her 10th grade that she started learning the Opera. “I am an Opera singer, I have trained in it and also sing it competitively,” she says. But a part of her heart still lies in Indian music.
Shreya with her family
“I still sing Indian music and love singing Indian songs, right from bhajans and Rabindra Sangeet to Hindi film songs. Carnatic Music was the foundation for my musical education. Practicing it at a young age helped my voice become flexible,” adds the 18-year-old.
Under the programme, Shreya will travel to Washington DC to receive a Presidential Medallion. “As a scholar in the arts, I would also be given the opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Centre.”
Talking about her family, she says, “We speak Telugu, English and a little Bengali at home. My family is my support system. With my mother’s support, I have performed at many prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York and the New World Centre in Miami, Florida.” Though her parents are from AP, they have been in the US for the last 24 years, so her trips to India have always been for vacations. “My favourite thing about India is the food. I love South Indian delicacies like dosas, idlis, and vadas. I’ve visited places like Kerala, Shirdi, Puttaparthi and Hyderabad. I remember feeling very comfortable in Hyderabad as almost everyone spoke Telugu.”
Shreya also makes time for the things she loves — like films and books. “I love to watch movies, read books, and listen to music. I am currently trying to write my own songs and aspire to start a Youtube channel to post covers. I also love to dance and used to learn Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi.”
Despite all the attention she has received, Shreya insists that nothing much has changed. “I travel a lot more now and singing has become a greater priority in my life. But my friends don’t really treat me any different,” she says.
