Youth
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Older than her years At 18, Oak Ridge songwriter Sydney Rose Wray is pursuing her two passions: performing music and studying to become a youth therapist by CHRIS BURRITT OAK RIDGE – Sydney Rose Wray first performed at Oak Ridge’s Craft and Vine when she was 15 years old. Fellow musician Devin Noyes couldn’t believe the richness and range of her voice.
“I thought, ‘holy smoke!’” Noyes said. “Her vocals were just incredible for her age. She was just a kid.” Three years later, Wray is writing songs she describes as “country and folk” and performing them across North Carolina, including an appearance at the State Fair in Raleigh in October.
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Photos courtesy of Sydney Rose Wray
(Left) Oak Ridge songwriter Sydney Rose Wray, 18, performed at the North Carolina State Fair in October, a highlight of her career that started at age 9 when she got a karaoke machine. In photo on oppostite page, Wray poses with her Aussieboxer mix, Bunny, which she got to help her deal with the breakup of her longtime boyfriend earlier this year.
But music is just one of Wray’s passions. The other is getting her college education to become a therapist to help children and teens. As much as the Oak Ridge resident loves music, she realizes she’s probably not going to be among the small fraction of performers who make it big on shows such as “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent.” For financial security, she’s looking toward a career in therapy. “I hope to do both for the rest of my life,” Wray said in a recent interview. In some ways, Wray is older than her years, and homeschooling helped to put her ahead academically. While many 18-year-olds are typically graduating from high school, Wray plans to graduate from UNC-Pembroke next year with bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and sociology. Then she intends to earn a master’s degree in social work, enabling her to become a therapist. Most of Wray’s education has occurred online, even before the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020 forced students to study from home.
DEC. 16, 2021 - JAN. 5, 2022
“I like the freedom that online school gives me,” Wray said. “It opens up the whole day for me to do what I want.”
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Her musical pursuits started at age 9, when her parents, Bert and Anja Wray, gave her a karaoke machine. She participated in community theaters in High Point and Oak Ridge and landed leading roles in musicals such as “Peter Pan” and “Alice in Wonderland.” During that time, Wray also performed for pay. She and a friend started a business, Once Upon A Fairy Tale Party, and dressed up as Disney princesses for the birthday parties
