Born in Mexico, Elisa Pedraza Sanchez has always loved the arts. Her schools in Mexico didn’t have theater programs, so she choreographed dances for the winter festival.

Elisa and her family moved to San Antonio right before she was going into high school. She packed her whole life into a suitcase and left her hometown of Toluca.

“That was a huge transition,” Elisa said. “My whole family and all my friends are in Mexico.”

Only knowing basic English, Elisa started high school and finally got to start theater classes. She would try to spend as much time as possible in the theater cleaning costumes and exploring. After a few years in theater, she finally scored the lead role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the Musical.

“I’ve always wanted to do theater, but it was never available to me,” Elisa said.

Elisa is now a sophomore at Texas State working toward her BFA in Performance and Production with a minor in Business Administration. She’s taking classes like Stage Combat and Stage Management while getting to help direct shows.

Through her experiences so far at Texas State, Elisa realized her passion for directing and producing. She would love to handle contracts, raise money, and have creative freedom on productions.

“As my senior thesis, I’m planning on translating a show from Spanish to English and directing it,” Elisa said.

In addition to directing and producing, Elisa wants to open a fine-arts school in an underprivileged area. She wants to help bring art to students who, like her, may not otherwise have access to the arts.

Student Profile: Elisa Pedraza Sanchez