Sam Tejada is a student who has EC leaders asking for his time and music universities offering him scholarships. The 21-year-old is a vocal music major and a member of EC’s men’s volleyball team, who has sung the National Anthem at EC functions.
“Our athletic director would walk in our gym, bypass me, and go straight to Sam and ask if he’s available for different dates to sing,” Richard Blount, men’s volleyball coach, said.
Tejada has been studying music at EC since the fall of 2005 and he is the lead tenor in EC’s choir chorale.
“He has shown amazing growth and great versatility in his voice,” Joanna Nachef, director of choir chorale and professor of music, said.
Tejada was raised in South L.A. where his father was a pastor, and his musical inclinations began in church.
“I grew up in the streets, so I knew what it was all about,” Tejada said. “There’s only two places the streets can take you, jail or in the coffin, so I decided to go to school and try to be smart.”
Tejada now sings in three churches every Sunday; during the week he is coach for the junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams at San Pedro High School.
“It’s always been back and forth between volleyball and music,” Tejada said. “Sometimes I find myself stressed out, but it is all worth it I think.”
Tejada extends his life ideas to the students he coaches at SPHS.
“In life, if you are confronted with an obstacle, you have got to find a way to overcome it,” Tejada said. “It’s the same thing with volleyball; if you can’t take the extra step or get past that obstacle you are not going to be a good volleyball player.”
Tejada takes his position as a volleyball coach as seriously as he believes in his power to influence as a performer.
“I try to make you understand, whether it is in Italian, French, or German: I, as the performer, try to make the listener understand every single word,” Tejada said.
Tejada is able to extend a positive influence by managing his time efficiently.
“I spoke to Dr. Nachef when I was extremely stressed and asked her how she manages to balance seven performing groups and her family life and she told me to basically get your mind off everything else and focus on one thing at a time, otherwise your head is everywhere. So I took that and use it now,” Tejada said.
Looking toward a bright future, the singing students plans on becoming a vocal performer after he transfers to obtain a music degree.
“I want to first be an influence as a performer and then be an influence as a teacher, and put volleyball somewhere in there,” he said.