Princess, dancer, secretary, or scientist- there is no role that is beyond senior Natalie Boyd. This Barbie can be anything, and, throughout her time in high school, she has, exploring her variety of interests from hockey to dance, and preserving through struggles in her family life.

One of Boyd’s most significant roles is as the Jazz N’ Company (Advanced Dance) co-president.

“(Dance) is how I express myself,” Boyd said. As president, she is responsible for leading warm-ups, choreographing dances, and more. “Whether I’m happy or sad, I can just dance it out… I also love performing for people and being onstage and making up my own little dances. It’s a really big part of my life.”

Boyd’s earliest memory of dance of her first recital, performing a a combo (ballet and tap) dance at took around age 4 for her family.

Boyd has been dancing since age three, competitively dancing for nine years before stopping in 2021, and has been a part of Advanced Dance all four years of high school. She often shared the stage with friend and current co-president Carina Ford, who’s she’s known since age seven and who she danced competitively with for eight years.

“Natalie is such a unique person,” Ford said. “She’s very bubbly and just a joy to be around.”

Boyd described  “looking up to” past Jazz N’ Company presidents, and how her admiration inspired her to reach towards the role her senior year.

“It’s really exciting being able to lead the underclassmen and welcome new people to the class, and just being able to make a positive impact on everyone so they feel included in the class,” Boyd said.

Dance, too, is partly what inspired her run for Mid-State Fair Queen the summer after her junior year, which ended in Boyd winning 2nd Runner Up Princess and the Talent Scholarship as one of the pageant’s younger contestants.

“When I was a kid, I did competition dance, and we danced at the pageant every year. It would always be so fun to meet the contestants and watch them compete. I always looked up to them, and that inspired me (to apply for Mid-State Fair Queen),” Boyd said. “Running then winning was kind of like a full circle moment.”

Boyd’s duties as Mid-State Fair Princess included daily fair appearances, posing for photo opportunities, presenting fair awards, putting on kids events, and more. She received $250 in scholarship money as second-runner up, and $100 for winning the talent competition. She noted the pageant helped her develop a variety of skills, including interviewing, building confidence, and “walking in heels.”

Boyd also is ASB secretary (former Social Media Director), a Track & Field varsity athlete, a Link Crew leader, a member of Superintendent’s Council, a researcher on the Field Studies Astrometry Course, a part-time worker at Moondoggies Beach Club in Downtown SLO, and a member of the Crimson Crew spirit club. Boyd was notably voted “Most Spirited” in the Yearbook for her involvement in leading cheers and hyping up the crowd at Football games. She accomplished all this while maintaining a 4.69 weighted GPA.

Do not mistake her positivity and spirit as naivete, however.  In 2020, Boyd faced what she described as her biggest challenge: her beloved father having a brain aneurysm and stroke that left him permanently disabled.

“It was really hard because my dad was a really active guy and we were really close,” Boyd said. “Seeing (the stroke and aneurysm) kind of take that away from him was really hard on my mom and I.”

This event forced Boyd to grow up faster than many of her peers. She describes having be “very independent” during this time, getting her license as soon as possible and often making meals for herself, so her mother could focus on caring for her father. Boyd also assists in caring for her father, a time commitment she estimates to be around 20 hours a week.

Dance teacher Jennifer Bedrosian has known Natalie since she was four year old, and describes being proud of her growth. “I’ve noticed that she has really gained confidence in herself throughout her years as a dancer. She is confident in who she wants to be in her adult life. It has been a true gift to watch her journey these past 14 years,” she said.

For college, Boyd will be attending Texas Christian University to study Sports Broadcasting, with the intention to either work for the National Hockey League or in media management. Her previous role in leadership as Web and Media Director pushed her towards that path after she “really enjoyed” being fully creative creating graphics and advertising.

“She has a gift at seeing something unique in the ordinary,” Bedrosian said. “Such a creative and talented choreographer and she carries that into her daily life. I’m excited to see what he does in the future.”