Shortly after Catherine Ochoa transferred to Baruch as a sophomore in Fall 2012, she left to pursue one of her life’s ambitions: Compete in a reality TV talent show. After trying out for American Idol and The X Factor, Ochoa made it onto NBC’s The Voice. “I auditioned, got a callback, and that’s when it started happening for me,” she says.
A singer since age five, the 19-year-old Bronx native, whose stage name is Cáthia, flew to Los Angeles for battle rounds, making it to the top 16 overall contestants and top 4 on “Team Usher.” Her performances attracted the attention of millions of viewers, including a record producer (with whom she’s making an album), and significantly increased her fan base. “I got amazing exposure, for which I am thankful,” she says. Last June she released a single titled “Without You.”
Success notwithstanding, Ochoa is determined to finish college, so she returned to Baruch in August. “I always planned on coming back to school regardless, because I think education is an extremely important thing.” That position is supported by her parents, immigrants from El Salvador, who came to the U.S. to provide their children with more opportunities, especially college.
Majoring in management of musical enterprises, Ochoa wants to learn the music business inside and out. She hopes her studies will help her manage her own career and give her a leg up in the recording industry.
Her dreams for the future are pretty clear: Get a record deal with a major label, collaborate with someone like Bruno Mars or Beyoncé, and tour the world as a superstar promoting her own album. It’s as simple as that.
—Barbara Lippman
To learn more about Ochoa, visit her website at www.cathiaofficial.com.