Among those mourning her is a former Austin student who interviewed Parton as a teenager \u2013 an experience she says has stayed with her for a decade.<\/p>\n
Isabela Perkins is now 28 and living in Houston. Ten years ago, she was a senior at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in Austin.<\/p>\n
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Perkins won an essay contest that gave her the opportunity to interview Parton at Dollywood for her school’s annual fundraising gala, Reach for the Stars.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still can\u2019t believe that it happened,\u201d Perkins said.<\/p>\n
Perkins said she was surprised when she learned she had won.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of star, philanthropist, all of the above,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cSo, I thought, \u2018Why not?\u2019 And I honestly didn\u2019t think that I would get it, and I got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perkins spent two months preparing for the interview during her lunch breaks. When the big day arrived, she said she was nervous before Parton walked into the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was so nervous before. I was like, \u2018What am I doing? Like, I can’t, I can’t do this,\u2019\u201d Perkins recalled.<\/p>\n
But Parton’s personality quickly helped calm her nerves.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was just very down-to-earth and very bubbly, as you could imagine,\u201d Perkins said.<\/p>\n
During the interview, Perkins asked Parton about her proudest accomplishments, challenges she faced as a woman in the music industry and the women who inspired her. That included Ann Richards, the late Texas governor and namesake of Perkins’ school.<\/p>\n
Parton recalled her relationship with Richards and their shared sense of humor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I\u2019d come to Texas, we\u2019d laugh our butts off because we had a very similar sense of humor because we grew up the same way,\u201d Parton said.<\/p>\n
Perkins ended the interview by asking Parton what advice she would give her 17- or 18-year-old self.<\/p>\n
Parton’s answer became one of the moments Perkins remembers most.<\/p>\n
\u201cI personally think your real strength is inside you,\u201d Parton told her.<\/p>\n
Perkins said that message took on even greater meaning as she experienced major moments in her life. That included the death of her father, Omar Sanchez, six years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see people like Dolly do these huge, massive things,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cI think that gives us the strength and guidance to, you know, keep going, and I think that definitely stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perkins also described Parton as a guiding light for the LGBTQ+ community, which Perkins said is especially impactful for her and her wife.<\/p>\n
Now, following Parton’s death, Perkins plans to watch their interview again. For Perkins, it was a conversation that lasted only minutes but left an impact that has lasted a lifetime.<\/p>\n