Meet Violinist and High School Senior, Jacqueline from Pusch Ridge Academy

January 27, 2025

Meet Jacqueline Rodenbeck, a senior at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy. She has been attending PRCA since she was a freshman and receiving scholarship funds from the Arizona Leadership Foundation (ALF). In addition to being an honors student, she is an accomplished violinist. She has a younger sister, Sophia, age 10, who is in 5th grade at Casas Christian School. Sophia also receives scholarship funds from ALF.

Jacqueline lives with her mom, Angelica, and her younger sister. Her mother works two jobs to make ends meet. She is proud of both girls, “My daughters are incredible children, study hard, have excellent grades, both play instruments, are involved in sports and community volunteering”. The funds they receive through the Arizona Leadership Foundation have been crucial to their education and being able to attend private schools where they are achieving academic success.

Jacqueline started playing the violin in 2013, when she was five years old. She took lessons at the Tucson Youth Music Center. She currently studies under Professor Danwen Jiang from Arizona State University. Jacqueline is the concertmaster of the Tucson Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and has been involved with this organization for the last three years. She has placed in local competitions including COT Young Artists Competition, SASO Youth concerto competition, MTNA AZ State Competition, Phoenix Young Musicians competition, TPYO Scholarship Competition and TSO young artist competition after which she was featured on News 4 Tucson KVOA-TV. Additionally, she has been invited to solo with a variety of orchestras including the Arizona Symphonic Winds, the Pima Community College String Orchestra, the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, the Civic Orchestra of Tucson, and the Tucson Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

She has also placed in international competitions as well including the Bach International music competition, the International Moscow music competition and the Clara Schumann International competition chamber division.

Beginning in 2016, Jacqueline has attended several music programs and festivals
across the country, including the Heifetz International Music Institute PEG, the Encore Summer Academy, the Curtis Network Mentor Program and the National Symphony Orchestra Program (NSO) at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. In April 2024, Jacqueline was featured on the national NPR program “From the Top”. In addition, she recently won first place at the 28th Annual Sphinx Competition in the junior division.

Outside of music, Jacqueline enjoys running, reading fantasy novels, and learning about plants and animals. She also spends time volunteering, as she enjoys giving back to her community. She has a 4.62 GPA and is a member of the Varsity Cross Country and Track teams, as well as the National Honor Society and has received numerous accolades for her academic achievements as well as her accomplishments in music.

Jacqueline skipped 5th grade when she was in elementary school because she was excelling academically. She is currently 16 years old and will be graduating in May at age 17. Jacqueline does not want to go to college at 17; therefore, she is taking a gap year in which she is planning to get a Suzuki teaching certification and considering auditioning to be a substitute in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. She is looking into starting college applications in the fall of 2025 to be admitted in the fall of 2026.

From Chad Brown, her Spanish and English Teacher at Pusch Ridge Academy, “Jackie is a standout on our campus, known for her academic excellence and dedication to learning, taking numerous college-level and honors courses. She is also a key member of our Mexico missions’ team, where her fluency in Spanish has made her an asset. She is an example of servant leadership.”

From Jacqueline’s Mother, Angelica:
I personally believe that the values a child acquires during his/her educational years are a fundamental part of their adulthood success. Pusch Ridge Christian Academy has strong moral and educational values, that I believe are at the core center of their education. Teachers and staff are strict, supportive, compassionate, and caring. The school’s academics excel in all areas. The preparation my daughter is receiving academically, spiritually, and morally is invaluable and a key element to her success in her future endeavors.  I could never have been able to send them to private schools without the help and support of Arizona Leadership Foundation.

About Pusch Ridge Christian Academy:

PRCA logoPusch Ridge Christian Academy, a classical, Christian, covenantal K-12 community in Tucson, Arizona, strives for excellence across our curriculum, teaching from a Biblical worldview so each student is prepared to engage the world with the truth of the Gospel. Over 970 students are enrolled over PRCA’s three campuses, and the school just celebrated its 25th anniversary.

For more information about the school, you can visit: www.prca.academy