Concord Student Advances in 'American Idol'

Bay City News Service

Two Bay Area singers, including a Concord high schooler, are advancing to the next round in the televised singing competition "American Idol."

During Wednesday night's episode of the show's 12th season, contestants were given "golden tickets" to go to Hollywood for the chance to become finalists, including a Concord high school teenager and an Oakland woman.

Sixteen-year-old Briana Oakley, made it to the next round after performing in Long Beach during Wednesday's episode. She sang "Up to the Mountain" by Patty Griffin and talked about being bullied when she was younger and growing up in Antioch.

She now attends Carondelet High School in Concord, where a staff member from the dean's office said Thursday that Oakley's success on the show is "very exciting for us." Carondelet is all-girls Catholic school

Kamaria Ousley, who graduated from Skyline High in Oakland in 2001, will continue competing for a chance to be a musical star. She said she was "excited" and "elated" to receive the ticket.

"I thought this is another step toward my goal," she said in an interview.  The Oakland native asserted, "There's no one like me," while exuding confidence that she will cmove forward in the competition. According to her Facebook page, she graduated from the Berklee School of Music in Boston in 2005.

This story originated on Rockridge Patch.

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