SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ashley De Leon is not your normal high school student. The Capital Christian High School senior has one of the most remarkable high school resumes you'll ever see — she's the ASB President, captain of the cheerleading, flag football and soccer teams, current salutatorian, and the worship leader for chapel.
Recently, De Leon was named an All-American and was selected to represent the United States in the London New Year's Day Parade.
"I was actually shocked because I haven't been doing cheer for very long, but I was super excited," said De Leon.
She was one of just eight cheerleaders selected from this area to perform in the parade, something that completely surprised her when she found out she was chosen.
"I was sitting with my teammates. All the teams were sitting down, and they started announcing the names. When they announced my name I was really just shocked," said De Leon.
This will be her first time heading to Europe, and she says she's looking forward to soaking in the experience.
"I'm really excited because I've never been to Europe, but I'm also a little bit nervous because I don't know anyone," said De Leon.
Her accomplishments don't come as a surprise to her varsity head cheerleading coach Mackenzie Domingues.
"This is an awesome opportunity for her, and I'm just so proud and so happy I'm her coach," said Domingues.
Maybe what's most impressive about De Leon is her ability to wear so many hats and an unmatched work ethic to achieve so much.
"I try to stay super motivated because I don't like to have down time. I like to be really busy," said De Leon. "I like to be hanging out with my teammates all the time and my classmates."
That business doesn't go unnoticed.
"She's actually the first cheerleader that I've encountered that is involved with as many things as she is. And she does it with such grace," said Domingues.
When De Leon is not being busy the captain of multiple teams, she spends her time making the world a better place.
"As a Christian, I believe God has called us to care for people in need and love people. So we're all fundraising right now to go to the DR [Dominican Republic]. And we're going to go serve there for about 10 days," said De Leon.
When asked who her inspiration is, De Leon didn't hesitate to answer:
"Definitely my mom for sure, because she does a lot and she's very successful. She's nice to every single person she meets and she's great at networking. And I love her so much, and I want to be just like her," said De Leon.
As far as her future aspirations, De Leon says she wants to be an astronautical engineer... and at the rate she's going, there's nothing this young woman can't accomplish.
