Gina Augafa has been singing for as long as she can remember. The youngest in a family of two brothers and three sisters, she sings at home with her family, in her church choir where she sometimes solos and in an elective class at La Pietra — Hawaii School for Girls, where she is a junior.

Augafa, 15, sang for a different type of audience last month when she performed at Sunset Jazz, the school’s annual fundraiser hosted by faculty member Shari Lynn.

Augafa was backed by Lynn’s handpicked musicians — Bruce Hamada (bass), Jim Howard (keyboards) and Darryl Pellegrini (drums) — as she sang a beautifully introspective rendition of “Blue Moon.”

JOHN BERGER: How did it feel to sing for an audience of several hundred people at Sunset Jazz?

GINA AUGAFA: It was my first time singing outside of the church or at a school function, but it felt normal.

JB: What types of music do you like to sing?

GA: I like older songs like “Blue Moon” but also songs by groups from my parents’ generation like Earth Wind & Fire.

JB: Who are the singers who have inspired you?

GA: My interest in singing actually started (with) “The Phantom of the Opera.” I grew up watching that movie, it was my favorite movie and it still is, and it inspired me to sing.

For more modern artists, I like Whitney Houston and Bruno Mars and Adele.

JB: What do you like to do when you’re not in school?

GA: Spend time with my family. It doesn’t matter what we do as long as we’re together. Most of my life has been around the church, so that’s where I’m most comfortable and I enjoy being there around the church community.

JB: What is one of the most unusual things you’ve done?

GA: I raised 17 puppies. I had three dogs and two were females, and both of them got pregnant. They had two litters about a week apart — one was eight and one was nine.

I basically raised them all together and found homes for them. It was a good experience, but we got the two females fixed! No more puppies!

JB: What are your plans after you graduate in 2018?

GA: I work well with numbers and have had experience in handling money and fundraising, so I want to go for a degree in accounting.