San Marcos High School student advances to next round of American Idol

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Sofia Schuster is a sophomore at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, but she is so much more than a normal student.

Sofia recently performed a self-written song in front of a panel of celebrity judges and was chosen from a pool of performers to move on to the next round of the popular singing show, American Idol.

As impressive as this accomplishment is, this is not Sofia's first time in the spotlight.

In 2018, Sofia won the Teen Impact of the Year Award for Girls Rock SB. The following year, she took home the trophy as the winner of the Teen Star SB competition.

But as easy as it is to think Sofia was born with it, her story shows she wasn't.

On her website, Sofia explains that she was born with paralyzed vocal chords and was not expected to live let alone sing.

However, with the help of doctors and her own determination, Sofia broke her voice free and, by the age of three, became captivated by music.

She is now using this talent that she fought so hard for to sing about the topics she is most passionate about. Her own song, which she performed for the American Idol judges, is titled, "My Body My Choice." Previously, Sofia sang her song at a Planned Parenthood Benefit.

San Marcos High School recognized this impressive moment in their student's singing career on their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

You can read more about Sofia's story and hear her sing on her website www.sofiaschuster.com.

You can tune into American Idol on Sundays at 8 p.m. on channel 3.