page_title: List of High School Musical characters
section_title: Kelsi Nielsen
hierarchical_section_title: List of High School Musical characters / Other East High students / Kelsi Nielsen
caption_attribution_description: Olesya Rulin speaking at the 2015 Wondercon, for "Powers", at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.
context_page_description: The following article is a list of characters appearing in the High School Musical film series. Currently, the characters who appear in High School Musical, High School Musical 2, and High School Musical 3: Senior Year are listed.
  The first three films focus on the six main characters. The first film chronicles events occurring over several weeks in their junior year of high school, with the second film taking place the following summer. The third film is set in the final semester of senior year. Classmates and parents of these characters, as well as various other characters, are also featured.
context_section_description: Kelsi Nielsen is a songwriter and composer and student at East High. She is very introverted and is very intimidated by Sharpay Evans, the president of the school's drama department. In High School Musical, Ms. Darbus, the director of the school's winter musical, allows Kelsi to compose the music. During the auditions, Sharpay and her brother, Ryan, perform one of Kelsi's original songs, "What I've Been Looking For", but with an upbeat arrangement. When Kelsi tells Sharpay that she imagined the song to be much slower, Sharpay belittles her and Kelsi retreats. After auditions, Kelsi is approached by Troy and Gabriella, who tell her she does not have to be intimidated by Sharpay. She offers to show them how the song they sang is supposed to sound. Troy and Gabriella sing the duet ballad and Ms. Darbus, who had re-entered the auditorium, gives them a callback. Kelsi works with Troy and Gabriella to ensure that they beat out Sharpay and Ryan for the lead roles. The second film shows Kelsi, Troy, Gabriella, and their friends working at the Lava Springs country club, which is owned by Sharpay's family. Kelsi's job is playing the piano in the dining room. She is also the rehearsal pianist for Sharpay. She has a mutual love interest in Jason Cross, but never been shown a relationship. Although, in the third film he attends prom with Ryan when he invites her to work together, but only as friends. Kelsi receive scholarships for the Juilliard School, where she will study music.
  Kelsi is portrayed by Olesya Rulin in the first three films of the series. Rulin, who had previously starred in Disney Channel's Halloweentown High alongside Lucas Grabeel, was cast in her High School Musical role immediately after her own high school graduation.
caption: Rulin at WonderCon 2015
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