Fresno's own American Idol

By Rory Van Loon

While some students are still dreaming of how to succeed in their careers as well as life, others are actually making it happen.

Meet Helena Ochoa, a 19-year-old in her second year at Fresno State. She is also a member of the Sigma Alpha Zeta sorority.

Ochoa is an outgoing young lady, but there is more to her than meets the eye.

She is aggressive and ready to make her dreams come true.

Ochoa is a singer; her hope is to reach people through her voice and her music.

One of her greatest experiences thus far has been when she auditioned for American Idol.

The year that American Idol debuted, Ochoa was one of 10 finalists from Fresno chosen to audition in L.A.

Once in L.A. she was selected to advance and was one of 12 chosen from the state of California.
Though Ochoa made it to the top 100, she was soon eliminated.

“They told me that I didn’t have what they wanted, and that’s fine because I know someone will want me,” Ochoa said.

On September 25, Ochoa won the Central Valley Idol contest. This gave her the opportunity to open for the American Idol concert when it came to Fresno two weeks ago.

Ochoa lives by the credo passed on to her personally by Paula Abdul. “She told me ‘Live, love, learn, and sing; bless the world with your talent’ and that’s what I want to do.”

“I want to do it all,” Ochoa said. “I’ve been a dancer since I was 12, and I love to act. I would love to model, do shows, dance, just do it all.”

With her hectic schedule it is a wonder that Ochoa has any time at all for anything outside of her musical career.

Yet the Fresno State sophomore also works full-time at the Education Center as a caregiver in the infant room.

She finds her job to be fulfilling as well as motivating.

“I love performing for kids,” says Ochoa. “They are the future; they are my future crowd. They show lots of love; they will make me.”

Ochoa is all about sharing her gift and giving back to her community. This Friday, her sorority will put on a fundraiser at the Star Palace, with Ochoa as the headlining talent.

The event is called SIGMAFIA; it is the sorority’s fourth annual Halloween party.

The event is open to Fresno State Students as well as friends. The cost to attend will be $8 for those with a Halloween costume and $10 for people without one.

The sorority will give 40 percent of the earnings that it makes to the Marjaree Mason Center. The event starts around 10 p.m., and Ochoa will perform.

Ochoa is very happy to be performing for such a good cause. “Our sorority is a multi-cultural sorority; we embrace women,” said Ochoa.

After this event, Ochoa hopes to spend a great deal of her time working on finishing up her album.

Ochoa said her record is going well, but she is not fully satisfied. She has 12 songs recorded but hopes to put out a CD with at least 18 songs.

“I want to give people what they are paying for; I think the audience deserves it,” Ochoa said.

A year ago Ochoa signed a record deal with MD records, a locally-based record label.

She met with Mario DiSalvo, CEO and founder of MD records about a year ago. They discussed her musical ability and the direction her career should take.

From there her life took a chaotic but exciting turn. Ochoa said the day after she signed with MD records she opened for rapper Too Short in San Luis Obispo.

Ochoa has also performed at countless weddings and sporting events, as well as fraternity and sorority parties.

Unlike many singers on the local and national music scene, Ochoa writes her own lyrics.

“I like to write about my past experiences,” Ochoa says. “I like to write about things that happened and are going to happen. I want people to be able to feel and relate to my songs.”

Ochoa, who is very passionate about her writing, said the main theme in her songs is love; she knows that that it is a universal topic that everyone can relate to, and that love sells.

Ochoa began to prepare for her musical career at an early age. She began singing when she was nine.

All the while, Ochoa claims, she had a lot of support from her parents.

Ochoa’s parents allowed her to sing wherever she could.

They let her participate in pageants, weddin, and other types of events.

With her drive and energetic attitude, it is not hard to believe that Ochoa will go far in her talents.