Aditya Nimbalagundi remembers car rides with his mom filled with radio music of all kinds of genres. This inspired his pursuit for music within high school.

Little did he know that this inspiration would lead him to place first chair in all-state choir. 

“Aditya has always been naturally gifted with a beautiful voice, but it’s his work ethic of practicing his music, technique, and sight-reading skills that make him such a fabulous musician,” said Stephanie Keen, IHS Choir teacher. 

As a freshman, he made top 15 in All-Region but did not make it to All-State in 2021. 

“[When I auditioned] I was not in the right mindset; I feel like I didn’t have to do much to get in,” said Nimbalagundi. “My work ethic for singing definitely improved [since then].”

The following year, he auditioned again. This time, not only did he make All-State, he made first chair in All-State Mixed Choir. 

“My most vivid memory is not of him placing in the choir, but actually of the drive and determination that came with [last year’s] failure,” said Keen. 

Listening to gospel at a young age, he found himself in awe, another inspiration for him before he pursued singing at the age of 10.

“[I used to watch] those YouTube recordings and wondered how they were so in sync,” said Nimabalagundi. 

At IHS, he chose to join choir hoping to find friends with the same interests.

“I wanted to expand my singing ability, especially with a group,” said Nimbalagundi. “I’m definitely much more supported in my singing now.” 

Other than singing, he is passionate about helping animals through his Animal Welfare and Rescue Club’s (AWARE). Their current goal is to convince Collin County’s animal shelter to expand space for more animals. 

“[Currently] we’re trying to give speeches to the Collin County Animal Shelter [because] it is at 150 percent capacity [yet] they aren’t ready to add a new shelter,” said Nimbalagundi.

He also enjoys playing basketball with his friends, playing with his dog, and skateboarding. He plans on pursuing Biology in college. 

“Right now [I’m considering] Baylor University and University of Texas at Austin (UTA),” said Nimbalagundi. “Maybe [I could] minor in music.”  

Currently, Nimbalagundi is in the process of preparing for All-Region again with auditions coming up on Oct. 14. 

“I will never forget the determination Aditya had to make All-State [in sophomore year],” said Keen. “To say I’m proud of him is an understatement.”