Leaving her life in the warm South Bay beach cities behind, Isabella Kohler is creating a new path for herself as a writer in the foggy marine layer and chill breeze of San Francisco. Kohler already has some experience with the profession, as she spends much of her time on creative writing, and has also been on the High Tide for three years.
Being half Brazilian, Kohler and her family lived in Brazil for three years of her childhood. She grew up immersed in that culture, and it has heavily influenced her writing to focus on the underrepresented peoples, cultures, and lifestyles of the world. Kohler is a part of a club for Brazilian girls in California and Florida called the South American Support Education, where she tutors Brazilian kids that struggle with school.
“[Some young girls and I] get together every month to hang out and talk about how life is going for us. Some of them have just recently moved here from Brazil, and some of us have been living here our whole lives. It’s just a really fun way to be connected to our culture, living in America because I feel like you don’t meet a lot of Brazilians that have a background of living in Brazil and know the culture, so it’s a great way to connect with people,” Kohler said.
Even between school, writing, and the club, Kohler finds time to pursue her other passion: music of all kinds. She has been playing guitar for about a year and a half with occasional lessons, and has loved singing her whole life.
“I have home videos of myself singing on my balcony to this cow in Brazil. We used to live in an apartment with a grass field outside of it, and this guy would bring his cow every day to graze, and I used to sing Disney Princess songs [to the cow]. So, I’ve always loved singing,” Kohler said. “And then a couple years ago, I thought it would be so cool if I could play the guitar and sing at the same time. Then I started writing songs too, and I thought that was a good way of mixing my love for writing with my love for singing.”
Kohler’s love for music fed into her participation in musical theatre for many years, starting at the company Family Theatre and continuing to Redondo, where she’s acted as an ensemble member in multiple productions.
“Theater gave me the courage to talk to people more, and it gave me a lot of confidence. That has helped me with writing and journalism too. When I interview people and just talk to them, I’m a lot less hesitant to ask them questions and to speak to them,” Kohler said. “It’s introduced me to a lot of new people that I probably wouldn’t have been friends with if I hadn’t done theater.”
Beyond writing for the High Tide, Kohler writes about 30 pages a month of creative writing, varying from book ideas, to short stories, and poems. One of the main projects she’s working on right now is a book about antique letters she found at Stars Antique Market, an antique store in Hermosa Beach. The letters date back to World War II from a girl who was living in LA at the time. So, Kohler reached out to RUHS’ school historian, Terri Martinez, and they are now working together to chronologize her experiences.
“I think [the book] is something that would be a really interesting way to close out my high school experience. All the things I have learned in school have led me to writing this book,” Kohler said.
Kohler’s grandmother wrote two books, and she loved “collecting little trinkets,” so Kohler takes some inspiration from her. She’s also inspired by the sentimental books she reads, like “Anne of Green Gables.” Kohler’s mother, Carla Kohler, always encouraged her to read, taking her to the library at a young age for story times and always gave a supporting hand to her even though she doesn’t write herself.
“Isabella and I are very close. I don’t have any family here. My husband doesn’t have any family here anymore, so it’s just the three of us. She’s almost 18, and we always do things together. A lot of kids that age, they don’t do anything with their moms anymore, but we always do. She’s very sweet,” Carla Kohler said. “We sometimes do girl’s trips together. We went to Central Coast, and it was very nice to be just the two of us. ”
Watching Kohler grow up, Carla Kohler has seen her develop into the person she is today through finding new friends, hobbies, and passions. Kohler and her mother both agree San Francisco is a great choice for her because it’s a city, so there will be a lot for her to write about.
“I’m so excited for college, but it’s also so bittersweet leaving behind my family and my friends.” Kohler said. “My writing has always been really internal to me but in college I want it to be something I’m more strategic about. I feel like I write for myself but I want to start writing things that other people will see.”