When I was in 1st grade, my parents made me go to my first piano lesson. At the time, I hated it, I couldn't understand why they were making me go once a week for lessons on an instrument I had no interest in. Over time, however, I grew to understand it, to love it. I started to see it as a way to express myself and a way to connect with the music I loved. Then, after a couple of years, I joined my school's band program, and I was enamored. I developed a deep love for brass instruments that carried me from trumpet, to euphonium, to tuba, and finally to trombone. It was during my time at Rio Americano High School that I discovered jazz music and the dedication of the students there, which led me to decide I had to be a jazz musician. Throughout my time at high school, I was helped by so many local musicians who have encouraged me and pushed me to do my best. The Sacramento Jazz Education Foundation has been especially encouraging in my process. From the first time I attended the Teagarden Jazz camp in 2022 to when I joined TNT in 2023, everyone involved has been incredibly supportive. All the great teachers I have been able to learn under have given me one thing above all else, a deep love and appreciation for Jazz music. Mentors like Brandon Au and Bob Williams have inspired me to continue the tradition by teaching the future generations of jazz musicians in the same way they taught me. The love for the music has blossomed and has become much more than a simple desire to play jazz; it has become a necessity. Jazz is an important music, and to continue its tradition, I knew I had to go to college to study it. I am very excited to be attending the New School in the fall, with a major in Jazz trombone performance. The New School is a great college to study jazz, with its world-class faculty and ideal location in New York City. I chose New York because it is a city with a rich jazz history; however, it is also very expensive, especially for an artist. This scholarship would greatly help me with all the costs associated with living in such an important city while studying Jazz at a great college.