‘Voice’ contestant Jackie Foster visits Poway High

Jackie Foster, a Poway High grad, former Miss Poway and current contestant on NBC’s “The Voice,” returned to her alma mater on Wednesday.

Foster visited the classroom of Robert Kaechele, her former Digital Media Production instructor, where she met with students, checked out their projects and answered questions.

“It’s very rewarding to come back to a class that was so important to me in high school, talk to the students and see how the class has progressed (since Foster graduated in 2014),” Foster said.

Foster said Kaechele was “so influential” to her experience at Poway High and he helped her become her best version of herself by spending time with her and helping her develop her music. “He saw that I was really invested in my music,” she said. “I think he saw I had a talent.”

Kaechele also allowed Foster to record music in the back room of his classroom, she said.

Kaechele said that he could see a lot of potential in Foster when he had her as a student in his digital media and sound production classes.

“Jackie was a dream chaser and a dream catcher,” he said. “She had the will to take risks. With all the skills she has, (her success) doesn’t surprise me.”

Foster is not Kaechele’s first student to go on and find fame. He said he also saw the same talent and will in his former students who found fame in the bands Blink-182 and All-Star Weekend, as well as filmmaker Jordan Burt, who found fame on the now-defunct video application Vine. He said ti was nice to “plant seeds” in students and see them go on and succeed.

Foster will also be making other appearances around San Diego, singing the national anthem at Opening Day for the Padres and visiting the Bernardo Winery. “I love (coming back),” she said. “Poway and San Diego did some much for me. The community was always there to push me to be a better artist.” Foster said she appreciated being able to give back to the community and having a chance to be open with people about her story.

“It’s weird, though,” she added. “It’s a total 180 of what my life was like before.”

Foster survived her first elimination round on “The Voice.” After her partner in her “battle round” performance, D.R. King, was selected to go through by their coach Kelly Clarkson, Foster was saved by fellow coach Adam Levine and now heads into the “knockout round” on his team.

“I still cannot put words to it,” said Foster of being saved by Levine for his team. “Even though I watched it on TV, there’s no way to put it into words. Just complete shock and gratitude. Adam Levine is Adam Levine, he’s an incredible human being who is experienced in rock, which is what I want to do.”

Foster said having the opportunity to work with Levine is something she had always dreamed about and now she gets to do it.

Foster could not say much about the upcoming knockout round, but she did get to choose what song she sang. “(The song I chose) is near and dear (to me),” she said. “I grew up listening to it in my childhood, my teen years. I can’t wait for America to watch it.”

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