source: gmanetwork.com/
A triumphant Top Three finalist on American Idol, Jessica Sanchez is coming home. But to the disappointment of millions of Filipino fans, it won't be to the Philippines but to what Forbes magazine once dubbed "one of the most boring cities in America."
The Filipino-Mexican-American Jessica Sanchez was born and raised in Chula Vista, her hometown south of San Diego, California, where she will receive a grand welcome and star in her own homecoming production for the show, where she has now joined Jasmine Trias as the only Filipinos to make the Top Three.
But she is the only contestant who has received the "Save" to make it to the Top 3.
It has been a long-standing tradition for the singing reality show "American Idol" to feature its Top Three finalists visiting their hometown.
The Top Three performance will be on May 16 (May 17 in Manila).
The two other remaining contestants on the show will also be visiting their hometowns:
Joshua Ledet, 19, Westlake, Louisiana, and
Phillip Phillips, 21, Leesburg, Georgia.
“Our community is thrilled to welcome home Jessica – she is already Chula Vista’s Idol,” said Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox in a statement.
“Her amazing talent and accomplishments are deserving of this grand celebration. We are so proud of her,” she added.
According to the city's press release, Sanchez will ride in a short procession with the Eastlake High School Marching Band and Color Band which will run from southbound on Eastlake Parkway from Otay Lakes Road to Clubhouse Drive onto the school campus.
The mini-concert will be held at the high school’s football stadium where Sanchez will perform at 11:30 a.m.
Sanchez is the second “Idol” finalist who hails from the San Diego area. The other is Adam Lambert, first runner-up to Kris Allen in the show’s eighth season.
According to GMA News Online managing editor Yasmin Arquiza who stayed briefly in Chula Vista in 1995, Sanchez's hometown is a small and quiet city located near the Mexican border.
"Chula Vista is close to the Mexican border town of Tijuana. It's very much a mix of white and Mexican residents. Very laid-back lifestyle, quiet and suburban," she said.
According to official statistics, the majority of people in Chula Vista are of Mexican descent.
"Chula Vista" is Spanish for “beautiful view.”
According to Forbes Magazine in 2009, the city is big but lacks buzz and excitement. "The midway point between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, rarely makes national news, but when it does, it's often in stories about the region's border tensions. How many people even knew Chula Vista was one of the country's 100 largest cities?"
Jessica Sanchez is about to change all that.
Even Chula Vista's much more famous neighbor to the north, San Diego, is claiming her as one of their own.
After her performance last Wednesday (Thursday in the Philippines), San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders urged the public to vote for Sanchez.
“As evidenced by the current mayoral race, San Diego is a city whose residents possess the full spectrum of political opinions,” Sanders said. “Jessica Sanchez is far and away the best performer on this season’s ‘American Idol.’ I encourage all San Diegans to give her the support she deserves.”
The votes all paid off. Sanchez is now one step closer to the “Idol” crown.
A marquee that reads “Jessica is our Idol" in a Chula Vista police station, a handmade sign on a fire truck proclaims “Our American Idol Jessica,” and giant signs in Chula Vista auto parks are only among those to welcome Sanchez, the San Diego Union Tribute reported.
Sanchez’s followers on Twitter have peaked to 305,682 as of posting time today. Among the top three contenders, she got the most number of followers.
In a short tweet, Sanchez (@JSanchezAI11) thanked her fans who voted her in, saying: “Thank you guys so much! It's an honor to be in the Top 3!”
Hometown girl
Sanchez was born in Chula Vista to parents Gilbert and Editha Sanchez. Her father is a Mexican-American and a U.S. Navy veteran who fought in the Iraq War. Her mother traces her roots in Samal, Bataan.
She studied in middle school in Eastlake Middle School, located near the venue of her mini-concert.
She has been singing since she was two, appearing on TV shows “America's Got Talent” and “Showtime at the Apollo.”
Her favorite subjects during middle school were choir, physical education, and science.
John Academia, Sanchez’s eighth grade choir teacher at Eastlake Middle School, remembers her as a humble girl, Fox San Diego reported.
“When she came in you would have never have known that she was this amazing singer," Academia told Fox. "She stayed in the background.”
source: gmanetwork.com/
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