The hundreds of Stevenson students, faculty, and community members quiet as the lights dim in the Performing Arts Center, the background music fading away. Anticipation slowly builds after the emcees and Kiva Executive Board members leave, and a figure enters from left stage. The first note of the music marks the beginning of Stevenson’s largest singing competition, S-Factor. Clara Cavalcanti ’25, a first time contestant, feels both excited and anxious as she prepares to share what has been an integral part of her life: music.

“It’s really scary to just get on the stage in front of everyone and compete against other people with incredible voices,” Cavalcanti said. “But being able to go through it together was a fun experience, and I’m glad I did it because it definitely helped my confidence for the future.”

Cavalcanti credits her early involvement in music to her dad. She began engaging in music in many different aspects of her life, but notes that she preferred a more independent approach to music. 

“I always had to be in some sort of musical involvement in school,” Cavalcanti said. “I did band growing up, but I never really liked the school-oriented approach. It’s always been a hobby that not a lot of people know about, which is why S-factor was fun because I could showcase that side of myself.” 

Along with an early interest in music, Cavalcanti has been quite active in gymnastics throughout her life. When she joined Stevenson’s girls gymnastics team, she had high expectations for herself and her performance. Unfortunately, many of her seasons were cut short by injuries that required significant time away from her sport to recover.

“I have had a lot of injuries and had to face adversity in athletics,” Cavalcanti said. “It’s a disadvantage, depending on how you look at it.”

Cavalcanti notes that she strives to learn from her experiences, whether they be positive or negative. From sharing her deeply personal love of music on a stage in front of her peers to being unable to compete with her gymnastics teammates, Cavalcanti focuses on the positives. In fact, as a captain of her gymnastics team, Cavalcanti oftentimes finds herself in a position to provide guidance.

“Even while injured, as a captain I still have the role of holding my team together, holding them accountable and seeing them as individuals, not just athletes,” Cavalcanti said. “So, by assisting my coaches, I can really reinforce the positive environment of our team, and it has shifted my perspective.”

In addition to gymnastics, Cavalcanti believes her involvement in many different activities at Stevenson and her leadership positions have taught her the importance of maintaining communication. She stresses transparency when navigating time conflicts.

“If I need to miss practice for S-Factor rehearsal, for example, my coach won’t take that the best way, but communicating the conflict is important to me,” Cavalcanti said. “So I’m gonna make sure that I convey that this opportunity is important to my experience at Stevenson.”

Along with participation in musical events like S-Factor and athletics, Cavalcanti has spent much time exploring fields that interest her, notably medicine. She recalls that her connection with medicine was unexpected.

“It started with all my gymnastics injuries,” Cavalcanti said, “I always wound up in an orthopedic office and just thought it was super interesting that they were able to heal me, physically and mentally.”

As a first-generation student, Cavalcanti understands the struggle with adjusting to new environments. Cavalcanti is grateful for the Stevenson community, and believes her interests in athletics and medicine were encouraged by the competitive community around her. 

“I think competition is a positive factor for students,” Cavalcanti said. “It may sometimes be unhealthy, but I think it always pushes you to be curious and learn what else you can be involved in.”