Kaerya, a woman from Algonquin, took American Idol by storm this week with her incredible audition. The daughter of Polish immigrants, Kaeyra grew up singing at her mom’s music school in Schaumburg and has since made an impact in the local music scene.

Her success is credited to her Polish parents, “It’s the reason why I’m so hardworking: seeing how hard they are working, coming from Poland and making their own businesses, and just making it work, learning the language along the way. Just seeing their work ethic and making connections.”