Performing her understudy role in Pippin, Ava Dallesandro gets to experience her first taste of a lead role at McCallum High School. 

While many people watch Ava perform on stage, see her in commercials, or watch her play soccer, few know about her childhood and upbringing. 

At the top of a big hill in a small village in Ethiopia in a hay straw hut built by the hands of her dad, Ava was born.

She was put up for adoption at six months old because her parents were sick.

However, there were no adoption agencies that could take her in, so she stayed at an orphanage for a while. 

When there was an agency available, she was moved there and was adopted by her parents at 11 months old and brought to America. 

Her younger sister, Zinnia was then adopted in 2014.

Ten years later, Ava was able to go back to Ethiopia to meet her family and see where she would have lived. 

When she traveled back to the straw hut where she was born, it brought back so many memories. The luscious green grass that stretched out for miles. The clouds that hang super low on a rainy day which feel like you can almost touch them. The mango that leaves an amazing taste in your mouth.

Coming from this experience, she could not know that she would go on to be featured in commercials worldwide for Takis and much more.

Little did she know she would start playing soccer at 6 years old and fall in love with it. 

Little did she know she would be cast in every Mac Theatre show she tried out for and have an understudy role for the main character as a freshman.

Little did she know acting is “the final piece in her puzzle.”