It has been almost a year since AL DÍA spoke with Isabella Ferreira, the young actress from Philadelphia who played Eva Diaz in Orange is the New Black. But on June 30 she joined virtually to give an update on her career and how she managed to graduate a year early from high school.

When Isabella came to the studio last August, she spoke about a project in which she had to move to LA to film. She spent four months there filming the role of Pilar Salazar, the little sister of the lead character in the new Hulu series, Love, Victor. 

Not only that, but she also got to work at Paramount Studios, a dream come true for her. 

For the new series, her character brought new challenges that Ferreira said made her learn more about herself as a person. 

She realized that Pilar was very similar to her when she was also 14-years-old. Similarities such as feeling alone in a new environment, not having many friends, and feeling like no one understands you.

“It’s okay; it’s part of life. You can be a strong Latina woman in a world full of craziness and speak your mind. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind” said Isabella. 

At the same time, it was very empowering to film for a show with a leading Latinx family. 

Growing up, it was not a thing you would see on television and she feels as though it was necessary to show the struggles these families face every single day. Not only economic hardships, but also dealing with LGBTQ issues in a culture that sees it as taboo. 

Ever since Isabella started working in the acting world, she has been homeschooled. 

And the most convenient method was for her to attend online classes. This was made possible by attending Reach Cyber Charter School and thanks to her dedication, she was able to graduate high school a year early. 

She spoke about how before the pandemic hit, people had a lot of misconceptions about cyber learning, believing it was too easy. But now they are seeing it is more serious than previously thought. 

When asked before what her dream career would be if she was not pursuing acting,  she said it would be in marine biology. Now, thanks to the school, she was able to take classes in the subject at times with teachers that were flexible to her acting schedule. 

Now that she’s home in Philadelphia for quarantine, she has been trying to enjoy time with her family. 

She felt as though she got a breath from her busy life, but is still working towards future projects.

Isabella, just like the rest of the cast, is hoping the show gets renewed for a second season. In the meantime, she passing time learning new ways of filming herself at home for another exciting project.

And if anyone was wondering, yes, her celebrity crush is still Shawn Mendes.