Sixteen-year-old Caitlin Kendrick loves to sing, and a recent weekend at Samford University gave her an opportunity to do just that for seven hours a day.

“We had a three-and-a-half-hour rehearsal, then we got a lunch break, then we came back for another three and a half hour rehearsal,” she said.

About 1,000 high school students and teachers had gathered at Samford for the Alabama All-State Choir.

Caitlin Kendrick, Amber Bivins and Laura Thomas represented Chelsea High.

They were selected after auditioning for the all-girl choir.

“You must learn five different songs and sing in front of a group and a judge,” Kendrick said.

This is the third year the high school sophomore has been accepted for the All-State choir. She has been singing since she was “real little,” she said. She used to sing a lot at her grandmother’s church.

Now she sings in her school choir and with the Praise Band at Chelsea Community Church.

“After I finish high school, I want to go to Samford for undergrad work, then major in biology at UAB to become an orthodontist,” she said. “I also want to major in music and take summers to be a missionary leading worship.”

She considers it a real privilege to be accepted into All-State, she said, adding, “I thank God every day for giving me this talent.”

Shelba Nivens can be reached by e-mail at ssnivens@bellsouth.net.