Senior Mekaleya Tilahun strikes the first few chords on her guitar, a  prized possession, that sits perfectly on her knee.

With a sparkle in her eye she glances out into the audience and begins to sing. Lyrics flow effortlessly from her heart and fill the arena with a beautiful melody.

That performance at the 2013 Battle of the Bands on Feb. 16 was  merely one of many and was a product of years of practice.

At 13 years old, Tilahun taught herself how to play guitar, mimicking songs while listening to them.

She would practice in her room, singing along to some of her favorite artists.  One artist who impacted her greatly was Taylor Swift.

Swift’s “Our Song” captured her attention and introduced her into the singer/songwriter world.

Before she began singing, Tilahun was, and still is, a passionate writer. She would write anything from poetry to short stories.

A little bit after she taught herself guitar, she decided she wanted to write songs.

Her  new-found admiration for creating songs accompanied by her newly taught skill of playing the guitar motivated her to practice more and more.

Tilahun has written five completed songs so far. Along with her own songs, she records covers of other artists songs as well, some of which have been posted onto her YouTube channel (mekietilahun).

“I love her YouTube channel (because it has) a lot of covers and originals on it,” said senior Mathew Salavitch. “I mean, I don’t know if she’s trying to make a career of it but she’s definitely talented for where she’s at.”

Music moves Tilahun and is threaded into the webs of her daily life.

“Pretty much whenever I’m around the house I listen to music,” said Tilahun. “I feel so inspired while listening to music.”

Tilahun categorizes her music under the genre of singer/ songwriter, where acoustic guitar and only a voice is present.

Tilahun’s friends find her sound beautiful and unique.

“It’s nice and light and smooth,” said Salavitch, who plays bass for the band Minute 2 Midnight.  “(It) is nice because it’s a change from a lot of female singers who go for the like gospel with some sass sound.”

In addition to Battle of the Bands,  Tilahun performed at Cal High’s Variety Show in 2011, where she placed third.

But being active in competitions is not where her heart truly lies.

Tilahun finds that performing at local events is more suitable for her.

She performs during acoustic nights at the Dougherty Valley Station Theatre in Danville, where different musicians come and perform.

“(Mekaleya is) the sweetest and most dedicated girl I know,” said senior Tyler Stimpson. “She has such an amazing smooth voice that makes you shiver every time you hear her sing.”

Tilahun is expected to audition and take part in Cal’s talent show on Thursday.

This is going to be her second talent show in which she will perform.

She is planning on singing a Spanish song in memory of Señora Margarita Dickenson, who pased away last year.  This tribute will mean a lot to Tilahun because Dickenson was her favorite teacher.

The talent show is close to the one-year anniversary of Dickenson’s passing, which makes the tribute even more special for Tilahun.

Tilahun’s family is also  very supportive of their daughter’s performances.

Tilahun’s mother, Martha Amare, said the first time she saw her daughter perform she was shocked and didn’t recognize her voice.

Tilahun’s family is also very musical. Her father plays the Ethiopian guitar and keyboard, and Tilahun and her sister both played  piano for two years. They all enjoy and listen to music together.

Amare describes how far her daughter has grown with her music, and notices how she is constantly improving every time she performs.

Even though music runs through their veins, school and education is still very important to her family. Tilahun is going to major in biochemistry and hopefully go to medical school.

But Tilahun has found a way to intertwine her two passions. She describes a scene where, if she became a doctor, she would sing to her patients to give them comfort.

“If there is anyway my music can help people, that would be awesome,” said Tilahun.

Even today she is helping many people through the club Supply a Change, which  donates school supplies to underprivileged schools in third world countries.

Last year, the club donated about 200 school supplies to a school in the Philippines.

“We had a benefit concert in December and I performed,” said Tilahun. “We raised $495 to send to a school in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.”

The benefit concert was at the Cal High Theatre, and Tilahun performed Bruno Mars’  “It Will Rain” and Young the Giant’s “Cough Syrup.”

Tilahun finds giving back to be extremely important because other artists who have the opportunity to help neglect those in need.

“The music industry is so much about taking,” she said.  “I feel like we should give back with our voices and instruments.”