Movies hold many meanings that go beyond just visual entertainment. “High School Musical” came out in January of 2006, and I was born just a few months after in July of 2006. My siblings, Zachary Marmet ‘19, and Sage Marmet ‘22 both loved the movie, and after watching it countless times, my parents came to love the name of the bubbly and talented female lead, Gabriella Montez.
Because Gabriella is a pretty common name, not many people know that I was legitimately named after this uber-popular Disney character. I have always loved the name since I was young, especially because of who I was named after. Being the third, and youngest sibling in my family, it was inevitable that I fostered a love for the “High School Musical” series as well.
I really just wanted to do what my older siblings did, so when they watched “High School Musical,” I was right there with them. I, too, developed a love for the three-movie series about the highs and lows of an American highschool experience. As a young child, I always was proud of being named after Gabriella’s character, she provided me with inspiration and life lessons that I bring into my life today. Gabriella and I are similar in many ways, one of those ways includes that we both have a deep love for singing. Gabriella’s character sings constantly throughout the movies. Gabriella’s life is also like a musical, in her story, she can always find a time to break out into a song. Sometimes my life also seems like my very own musical, because I love to break out into song, and I personally think that many things are told better through musicality.
One lesson that Gabriella teaches is to always keep a positive attitude. There may always be something going on that is negative, but a positive attitude can brighten people’s days, get someone to smile, and make everyday life even better. It’s never too late to try and make someone’s day.
Another lesson that I learned from Gabriella is to try new things and seize the moment. After having a year of countless sports being cancelled due to COVID-19, when I was able to go back on stage for my dance competitions, I was reminded of the lesson of enjoying every moment. I made sure to enjoy every second of the performance and really take in the great memories that I would have after.
Life goes by so quickly, and you have to take in and enjoy every moment of it. If you don’t take your chance to try something new, you might miss an experience that could create amazing memories that will last a lifetime. You aren’t really living life to its fullest, if you aren’t soaking up the present.
