The Walker family continues to pass down its gift of music from one generation to the next.

Michela Walker, a junior at Decatur High School, is the latest to inherit the family’s long lineage of self-taught musicians. Her grandfather picked up and learned the saxophone at a young age with no help. Both of her parents sing and have not received any formal training.

Walker is not only continuing the tradition, she entered into the Future Farmers of America National Talent Competition as a singer and won. She competed against more than 300 other acts from around the country. Like her parents, she also did not receive formal vocal training.

Walker said there was no better feeling than winning the competition.

“I was just so happy,” she said. “I had so much support from family and friends and even people I didn’t even know, and I think that really helped.”

Walker’s final song of the competition was, “I’ll rise up,” by Audra Day.

The song choice and the win was a bitter-sweet one for Walker. She competed in the talent show last year and made it to the top three, but went home empty handed as the third place finisher.

Waker’s father, Michael, said it was hard to watch as the family expected to hear Michela’s name called as the winner.

He said the results not going Michela Walker’s way was devastating but also came as a blessing in disguise.

“We talked about people having different experiences,” Michael Walker said. “There’s so much to learn from losing, and then the will you have to muster up to continue to compete. And to charge after your goals and dreams.”

Sensing his daughter’s disappointment, Michael Walker went to work.

He sat down and did some soul searching, and internet searching, too.

Both of Michela Walker’s parents had aspirations of being professional singers. But neither were able to bring their dreams to fruition. Michael Walker said the lesson he’d hoped to impart on Michela Walker was that people are supposed to chase their dreams. They may not always pan out the way they are planned, but one should always strive.

Then, Michael Walker did some homework on one of his daughter’s favorite performers, Kanye West.

He discovered that West had anything but an easy route to his successful music career.

“Just folks that had a dream,” Michael Walker said. “People who maybe didn’t have a degree or the best education, things like that. People who defied the stereotype of you need this to get there.”

Michael Walker made that statement to his daughter on purpose.

His intention was to force Michela Walker to look in the mirror. To realize that, with no professional voice training, she accomplished something incredible, despite not being declared the winner.

“I think that was something I needed to hear,” Michela Walker said. “It really motivated me for this year.”

Michela said it was her father’s final words to her, a family motto of sorts, that picked her up from the pit of defeat.

“I just remember reminding her after that moment last year, about a saying that’s been in our family for years,” Michael Walker said. “The gift you’re given of singing is not for you, it’s a gift so that you can give it away to someone else.”

With the words from her father, Michela Walker was determined to return to the finals again in 2016. This time, Michael Walker wanted to make sure everyone knew Michela Walker was back once again.

Once Michela Walker won the state competition and moved on to the national competition, he began recording her performances and posting them to YouTube.

He posted her performance after the first preliminary round not knowing what to expect. But what the Walker family found, shook them to their core.

Within the first 48 hours of posting Michela Walker’s performance to YouTube, the video received over 8,000 views.

“These were people, like, we didn’t even know,” Michael Walker said. “Folks started taking the link to the video and were just sending it all over the place.”

Michael Walker said the key to winning the competition is for singers to interpret songs in their own way. Judges shy away from contestants who try to do an exact replica of the song they’ve chosen.

Each contestant has to choose 15 songs to potentially sing during the competition. As the competition draws closer to the finals, the judges choose songs from the contestant’s list for them to sing.

The success of winning such a major singing competition is already bringing rewards to Michela Walker.

She’s gotten calls to make appearances at small local events, and she received a call a couple weeks ago to be a contributing vocalist in the 100-year tribute to Ella Fitzgerald in March 2017 in Florida.

“It’s such an honor to be part of that,” Michela Walker said. “She’s so important to music. I’m so very excited.”

Now that the competition is over, and with the occasional appearance requests coming in, Michela Walker is focusing on being a normal high school student again.

She’s a cheerleader and a student mentor for the Golden Gators. Michela Walker is also a mentor to her two younger brothers.

Michael Walker said the two younger siblings are thrilled for their sister after her victory. But he said they’re most excited to see her return to normal life.

“They’re like ‘yay, you did good’, but now it’s your turn to take the dog out, your turn to do the dishes,” Michael Walker said. “Those are the conversations they’re having.”

Michela Walker has always loved animals. It’s why she joined the FFA in the first place.

Being at Decatur has only helped intensify that passion due to its partnership with the FFA. She’s had an opportunity to work with duck, pigs, chickens and rabbits while earning school credit.

Michela Walker said she’s interested in going to either nursing or veterinary school after high school. But she said pursuing a career in singing isn’t out of the question either.

Michael Walker said he’s pleased with his daughter’s potential career aspirations because it gives her the opportunity to pass down a new gift to a new generation.

“What I pull from those things is — it’s caring,” Michael Walker said. “She has always been in a caring posture. When you realize that’s another gift given to you, that you don’t have to work at, you just do it. No matter what she does, she’s going to be caring for things. Whether that’s through service or singing, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”