Medical Lake grad’s passion for music leads her to learn numerous instruments

Despite living in Spokane and now Otis Orchards, Ursula Delgado has attended schools in Medical Lake for her entire life.

It all started with her mother’s civilian job at Fairchild Air Force Base, which allowed Delgado to attend the elementary school on base.

Delgado never minded the commute.

“I wouldn’t change a single thing,” she said. “I loved it so much there. If I lived in Idaho, I’d still go to Medical Lake.”

A lot of Delgado’s experiences have revolved around music. She began playing the flute in the fifth grade and has expanded her repertoire to include alto and tenor saxophone, bassoon, clarinet and piccolo.

Delgado said she learned to play the piccolo during her freshman year at Medical Lake High School when she met a piccolo player.

“I asked her to teach me and she did,” she said. “I love how loud and high pitched it can go.”

She has been in her school’s concert and jazz bands and hopes to continue playing music when she attends Washington State University in the fall. She wants to continue learning new instruments and said she’s always wanted to learn how to play a brass instrument like a trumpet or French horn.

Counselor Lori Wilbanks described Delgado as musically gifted.

“Music plays a key role in her life as she commits to getting to school early every day for a coveted spot in the school’s jazz band,” Wilbanks said.

Wilbanks also praised Delgado for earning a 3.94 grade-point average while taking Advanced Placement classes. A child of immigrants, she will be the first person in her family to attend college in the United States, Wilbanks said.

“She is a force to be reckoned with, bringing passion and intellect to her class discussions, but also a maturity and quiet confidence that I don’t often witness in today’s teens,” she said.

Delgado, who has been in the Girl Scouts for the past four years, won awards from the Lions Club in middle school and last year for her accomplishments in school.

When she attends WSU in the fall, she plans to major in English language education with the goal of becoming an English as a Second Language teacher overseas.

Delgado said she set that goal after taking a human development class her freshman year.

“I found it entirely fascinating how children learn,” she said.

This year, she’s been taking a Careers in Education class, which she described as pre-student teaching. She assists with a seventh-grade class at Medical Lake Middle School, which she attended only a few years ago.

“I’m with one of my favorite teachers from when I went there,” she said. “I have absolutely loved working with the kids and creating relationships with the kids.”