“We know that words are not the only means of communication.  Emotion and feeling also  carry messages.  For some, what they see sticks best in their minds.  For me, sound communicates most clearly.”

The above comments from senior Francesca Mertan reveal her passion for and connection to music.  She says that “music is a way to reconnect with myself and refocus.”  Those who know Francesca will not be surprised at this, but few know how far her singing voice  has taken her.

In 9th grade Francesca participated in a competition in Los Angeles before representatives of various record companies.  She ended up receiving a call back from Capitol Records and recorded three songs with a professional producer in New Jersey.  “It was a great experience and for a while, I thought that this might be what I wanted to do,” she remembers.  She found the songs meaningful, but also found herself overwhelmed at what life might be like if she pursued this full time.  “I don’t want to ignore the gifts I have, and I would love it if [singing] could be part of my future.  But I felt more of a calling to academics.  There was so much pressure [in the recording industry] that I didn’t understand then or even now.”  Francesca currently finds a variety of musical outlets, including singing in district choir, praise band, and other venues.

Regina Spektor is her favorite artist, and Francesca mentions that this is so in part “because she takes simple, everyday ideas and makes them beautiful.  It’s good music with meaning, which is not typical of most pop music.”  Her interest in music not just as more than mere enjoyment helped lead to her senior thesis topic, which examines music’s effect on the soul.  “Lyrics certainly carry a message, but the tempo, structure, and sound of a song all carry a message as well,” which she feels most tend to overlook.

With her father in the Air Force until 2007, the Mertan family moved many times, and Francesca did not have any one schooling environment for more than two consecutive years.  As she came to AFA as a 10th grader, her stint here will be the longest in her school career.  “I had given up on the idea of community,” she recalls, “and just wanted to get done with school.”  This proved easier said than done.  “People here were very accepting.  I felt listened to, and it was a shock that I could not just ‘check out.’”  She also claims that though “the work was tough, the teachers work with us, which made it easier to adapt.  I feel prepared for the next step.”

While she remains unsure about where the “next step” will take place, she knows that she wants to pursue a degree in engineering, possibly biomedical engineering.  “I do not want to be a doctor, but I have always loved working with doctors,” something she has had to do a great deal of due to a variety of gymnastics related injuries.  But these trials gave her a new perspective on her future.  “As a result of [these experiences] I’d like to develop medical devices that will help others will sports-related injuries.  It has made me want to make the world a better place.”

She admits that this might surprise some who think of her as a ‘music’ person, but she sees a connection between the two.  “Music is math, and math is musical.  Music has a structure, sequence, and series.  Science and the arts have a connection.  I hope that my music background will help me be a better biomedical engineer.”

Still, with a career of professional recording possibly within reach just a few years ago, and a life characterized by music, will she be able to let go so easily?  “Maybe,” she admits, “I will also get a music minor.”