Taylor Tompkins

When she's onstage in the spotlight, 17-year-old senior Taylor Tompkins feels at home.

Before moving from Dallas to Schertz during her eighth grade year, Tompkins would have never set foot onstage.

Counselor Lynda Sinclair from Ray D. Corbett Junior High first introduced Tompkins to theatre arts.

Because she was a new student and had arrived late in the school year, Sinclair signed her up for a class.

"I didn't know anybody and I was really shy," Tompkins said. "I had always wanted to do it; it sounded cool to me."

"The teacher had me read a monologue," Tompkins said, "[My classmates] all freaked out and said ‘You're really good!'"

Since that day, Tompkins has remained loyal to theater at Clemens High School, where she has been cast as Robin Hood, an insane Queen Isabella, a comical redneck and a rebellious union organizer.

Tompkins also enjoys working as a waitress part-time at Aw Dang, a Chinese restaurant in Schertz.

Tompkins likes volunteering her time. Last year, she participated in the Walk for Life program and helped organize a Senior Citizens' dinner.