Singing in front of hundreds of thousands of people in a televised audience was an unforgettable experience for Sophie Dalisay as a contestant on The Voice Teens in the Philippines.
“It was very exciting, very nerve wracking at the same time,” the Sydney-born singer and student says. “I got to be behind the camera, see what it's like to be on TV, and be known by lots of people in the Philippines. I really enjoyed it.”
Two years on and 19-year-old Sophie describes herself as 'the singing architect' - which pretty much sums up her dual dreams.
She hopes to perform on The Voice Australia one day, and after completing a Diploma in Design and Architecture at UTS College, start studying architecture at UTS in March 2019.
Sophie Dalisay is highly skilled at singing and was featured on the Voice Philippines
The daughter of Filipino parents, Sophie was born in Australia and went to high school here. At 14 she began singing at her local church. She’s now 'the vocalist of choice' for all Liverpool Council citizenship ceremonies and other civic events, as well as entertaining at various RSL clubs around Sydney.
At the same time, she’s honing her talent for drawing, and hopes to become an architect.
“My dad is an inspiration for me,” says Sophie. “He was an architect in the Philippines, but when he moved here, he didn't continue it. I want to continue that path with our family.”
She’s recently been mentored by her uncle, Jun Quinon, who is an architect. “He helped me understand the importance of engaging the services of an architect.”
During high school in Prestons in southwest Sydney, Sophie says she didn’t spend enough time on her HSC.
“I feel like I didn't do my best in high school,” she says. “I was just so stagnant. I was so lost that I just focused on my friends, the people and activities that we did in school, rather than focusing on my studies.”
When she didn’t get the ATAR she needed to get into architecture at UTS directly, she enrolled in UTS College instead.
“At first I was sad, but when I found out there was UTS College, I was so happy because I knew that it was a pathway for me to get into UTS,” she says.
Over the last year, Sophie has completed a Diploma of Design and Architecture at UTS College, which gives her direct entry into second year the Bachelor of Architecture. She was mentored by one tutor in particular.
“I've learned how important it is to improve; that there's always space for each student to improve in everything that we do,” she says. “Also, I learned not to hang out around people that might discourage you or bring you down in your studies.”
She’s just presented her major work at the UTS College Design Exhibition.
UTS College also boosted her confidence. “The process of accomplishing my last project at UTS College has helped me improve my ability to meet deadlines and most importantly, think positively and enjoy the journey of getting assessment tasks done,” she says. “I feel like I'm ready to give my all for uni at UTS.”
Sophie Dalisay