![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/100001009975b2bde5db1b4f5e8e9fc1d6ac6d3dd4.webp)
Akron, OH
Age
17
Gender
Female
Ethnicity
Black/African, Caucasian
Religion
Christian
Church
Lutheran
Hobbies and interests
Music Composition
Music
Music Theory
Music Production
Band
Ukulele
Saxophone
Trumpet
Roller Skating
Clarinet
Songwriting
Flute
Ice Skating
Journaling
Writing
Spending Time With Friends and Family
Travel And Tourism
Astronomy
Drawing And Illustration
Reading
Movies And Film
Astrology
Chemistry
Piano
Shopping And Thrifting
Stargazing
Babysitting And Childcare
Acting And Theater
Photography and Photo Editing
Reading
Reliable News
Articles
Weather
True Story
Humor
Romance
Social Issues
Horror
Suspense
I read books multiple times per month
Bella Wesley
6,805
Bold Points5x
Nominee1x
Finalist![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/100001009975b2bde5db1b4f5e8e9fc1d6ac6d3dd4.webp)
Bella Wesley
6,805
Bold Points5x
Nominee1x
FinalistBio
Hello! I'm Bella, and I am very passionate about music. My main instruments are Alto and Baritone Saxophone. I am on my 4th and final year of marching, jazz, and concert band.
I enjoy participating in Saxophone camps and Woodwind camps, as I see them as fun and important opportunities to expand my knowledge of music. In addition to already having experience as a contract musician for the Film/TV industry with my father, I have other future long-term goals. Immediately after high school, one of my dreams is to join the Canton Bluecoats, a corp part of DCI. To scholarship donors, I can't express how much I want to be a part of the Bluecoats. Because this program is very expensive, Scholarship money would tremendously benefit this goal so I have a higher chance to participate.
I plan to attend the University of Akron and major in some type of Music!
It is important to fund someone like me because I already have the experience that will allow any help to go a long way. I think it's important that people of color, especially women, show their talents to the world. Scholarship money would tremendously aid me in my journey to finding out what I am capable of and what I can achieve. Thank you for reading!
Education
Harvey S Firestone High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Majors of interest:
- Music
- Visual and Performing Arts, General
- Visual and Performing Arts, Other
- Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Career
Dream career field:
Music
Dream career goals:
Gaining much knowledge in the field of Music, joining DCI, playing in a symphony, composing music, becoming a music teacher
Nursery Assistant
Faith Lutheran Church2023 – Present1 yearBrand Engagement team member
Akron Honey2020 – Present4 yearsFood Production team member
Akron Honey2020 – Present4 years
Sports
Marching Band
Club2021 – Present3 years
Awards
- Best Freshman
- outstanding sophomore
Softball
Junior Varsity2020 – 2020
Volleyball
Junior Varsity2018 – 20213 years
Awards
- Best Passer
- Best All Around
- Margaret Becker Award
Research
Music
Firestone CLC — Student2022 – Present
Arts
Wesley Bright and the Honeytones
Music2024 – PresentTri C Jazz Camp
MusicPretty blue eyes, Basie Straight-ahead, Centeal Park West, Orange colored sky, Straight no-chaser, Synononic Bossa2024 – 2024Litchfield CLC -Jazz Band
MusicJazz fest 20192019 – 2019Firestone Theatre - Pit orchestra
MusicSpongeBob the Musical2024 – 2024The Kent State University Glauser School of Music Sax Day
MusicJupiter (Holst, for Saxophone Choir), Game of Thrones (For Saxophone Ensemble)2022 – 2022Greystone Hall
MusicJazz band songs2023 – 2023House Three-Thirty, Akron Mayor Inauguration celebration
MusicLittle Sunflower, Autumn Leaves, So What, In a sentimental mood2024 – 2024Firestone Jazz Band gig
MusicThe "real easy" book2023 – 2023Kent State Saxophone Day
MusicOver the Rainbow, In the Stone2023 – 2023Blu Jazz Jam night
MusicLittle Sunflower2022 – 2022Firestone Band Concert
MusicPixars Favorites, Heatherwood Portrait , Michael Jackson Hits, Blue Ridge Reel2023 – 2023OMEA
MusicGambol, Safely Rest, Heatherwood Portrait2023 – 2023Firestone CLC- Tuck Everlasting: the Musical; pit orchestra
Music2023 – 2023Akron Public Schools Jazz Fest
MusicMisty, Mofongo De Mama, Count Bubba2023 – 2023Akron Public Schools "Bands-in-the-round"
MusicGambol (Jack Stamp), Safely Rest (Nicole Piunno)2023 – 2023Litchfield CLC Band
Music2018 – 2020Firestone CLC- Jazz Band
Music2021 – PresentFirestone High School Band (for Porchrokr Music Fesitval)
Music5 or 6 songs preformed2022 – 2022Open Tone Music
MusicAll Blues (Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" Album") , Autumn Leaves (Eric Clapton), Green Onions (Booker T. and the M G's)2018 – 2018Firestone Marching Band
MusicA Hero Within (By Luke McMillan)2022 – 2022Firestone Marching Band
MusicCelestial Journeys (By Gary P. Gilroy)2021 – 2021OMEA (Solo and Ensemble)
MusicAdagio and Allegro by Handel2023 – 2023The Kent State University Glauser School of Music Sax Day
Music2021 – 2021University of Akron Saxophone Camp
Music"Scherzo" (Robert Schumann, Saxophone Quartet)2022 – 2022Superior Sound Recordings (Jim Stewart Studio)
Music"Raindrops" (Song/With Wesley Bright), "Open Your Heart" (Song/With Wesley Bright), "Christmas Wherever You Are" (Song/With Wesley Bright, unreleased)2020 – Present
Public services
Volunteering
Faith Lutheran Church — Assisting with children2018 – 2020Volunteering
Feeding the homeless2017 – 2017
Student Life Photography Scholarship
Elevate Mental Health Awareness Scholarship
I find it intriguing how so many teenagers, including me, go through so much internally and it feels as if no one will ever understand how you feel. You have a hurricane of thoughts, swirling around at 1 million miles an hour, wondering if they will ever go away. I know at least half of the people reading this will understand what I'm talking about.
I don't exactly remember when it all started, but I'd say around 6th grade. Up until then, I had always gotten straight A's, as I progressed through middle school, I turned from a straight A, perfect-score student, to a depressed, average-grade tween.
My intelligence had not changed. I wasn't dumb, I knew that. But I was falling behind "What's happening?" I thought. It's not that I wasn't smart, but procrastination and motivation were a problem. Everything was starting to spiral out of control.
Then, they came. The thoughts.
At just 11 or 12 years old, I felt like I was mentally insane. I learned later that they had a name: "intrusive thoughts". If you don't know, it is when you experience unwanted thoughts that do not stop. They are involuntary and often distressing and disturbing to the individual. Research it! But oh boy, I felt tormented. I felt shame and I hated myself for thinking such awful things that I would never do. I felt scared of myself. I felt hopeless. I prayed to god to make them stop. "No, I can't tell my parents", I thought. "They will hate me. They won't love me anymore. They will send me somewhere for the awful things my mind keeps coming up with." I would often think about things that 11-year-olds usually don't think about, like "what comes after death" or "what's beyond earth" or "who created god". A big question that often plagued my mind was "Will I go to heaven? If I go to heaven, the bible says I will be there forever". In the same place, forever? Wow! My mind couldn't handle that and I would lie in my bed crying at night about it. I was fully convinced I was an awful, unforgivable person and I just wanted it to end. I was unusually tired and had a loss of appetite. I was trapped.
My safe space was my room, where I could be alone and attempt to have some control.
One day, I looked up something on my school-managed chrome-book. It was on the topic of ending my own life, but I knew I would never go that route. Ever! To this day, I still don't have an exact explanation for why I looked it up.
They flagged the search and called my parents. Long story short, I got a counselor and told my parents pieces and parts of what I was experiencing. It took a very long time for me to tell them a full story because I was so afraid.
However... It's not over. Everything that I was experiencing was indeed a sign of something, which took us even longer to figure out. I realize now that what I was experiencing was some sort of true depression. They didn't take me to the doctor at first, because they thought it was a phase. After the intrusive depressive stage, the procrastination and lack of following through did not stop. We finally went to the doctor a couple of months ago to see what could be the case, and she told me and I quote "It seems like it's a mix of both", referring to ADHD and Anxiety. "Just great." I thought.
I get the Anxiety part from my mom, and my dad has ADHD tendencies, and inferring from what's been happening since 2017, it all makes perfect sense now. When I found out from the doctor that it wasn't just me, a spark of hope ignited that maybe I could still be that straight-A student again. That maybe there was hope for me to save my future.
Currently, I'm in the process of finding a medication that works.
The thoughts definitely impacted my outlook on life and God. It greatly developed my sense of open-mindedness and self-awareness for myself and other people. I started to accept that I am not supposed to know the answers to the burning questions that used to plague my mind. In regards to the God part, I don't quite know what to think. A part of me still has these anxious, stressful questions that I want to know the answer to, but the realistic, slightly matured part knows that all I can do is accept that I will never know, so I shouldn't waste my time on them.
As I grew older, the thoughts started slowing down. It took a very long time, but eventually I came to a realization. I learned that thoughts don't make you who you are. Thinking about something doesn't make you who you are. It doesn't make you a bad person. It took me 3 or 4 years to understand that. I feel at ease knowing that everything I was going through was normal. I feel.. safe with myself now.
I can thank my parents for this as well. Even though they didn't know what I was going through at the time, my relationship with them is stronger than ever now. They helped me, and they still do. I feel like I can talk to them about anything.
So, in conclusion, my experience with mental health has helped me to learn. I'm still learning. It's helped me to realize things about myself, good and bad. It's helped me to help other people too! I find myself with strong empathetic skills, and I've learned that sometimes, the only thing a person needs is for someone to listen.
Netflix and Scholarships!
Dear reader:
You may have heard this show come up at least once. I'm here to convince you that Netflix's "Komi Can't Communicate" is one of the best shows on Netflix!
Usually, I am not one to watch any sort of anime show because I was never that interested in the style, but this show changed everything. It starts off with a girl, whose name is Komi. She has severe social anxiety, or sociophobia. Her goal? To make 100 friends. When she starts high school, she meets a guy named Tadano, who is just "the average Joe" and is usually overlooked by his peers. However, he is extremely good at reading people as well as their emotions, and when Komi arrives at his school, he is able to make the inference that she is socially anxious, and he offers to help her make 100 friends. He becomes her first friend! This show follows her on her journey through high school.
I almost forgot to mention the characters. I had no words for how interesting they were conveyed to the audience. Each character in the show is unique, not to mention relatable! They really help build the story and they make this show very comedic as well. There's a lot of entertainment and humor that comes with this show! To whoever is reading this, this show will make you crack a smile at least once.
In addition to this excellent storyline, "Komi Can't Communicate" has beautiful scenery! The style is magnificent and gives the watcher a comforting aesthetic. This show greatly accentuates the changing of the seasons! The colors are very vibrant and calming. The show is full of little details that really fulfill your watching experience. The environment that is presented does not disappoint and emphasizes the mood of the storyline.
Oh! As I'm writing this, I just remembered another reason this show is so great! The music! It's unlike anything I've ever heard for any sort of show! It's very original and fits the storyline and scenery perfectly. It's composed of lots of nice piano songs and the episodes always end off with a satisfying tune that sometimes includes vocals. In all honesty, the music is very relaxing, uplifting, and may even give you some sort of nostalgia. It fits the show perfectly!
That's all I have to say. Even if you aren't one to watch anime, give this one a chance! Go watch it!!
Share Your Poetry Scholarship
High school Life
The moment I realized
High school wasn’t as bad
As stereotypes called it.
Fears included:
Thirsty senior boys going for freshman girls
Wrong! (it was a rumor)
So much work your life is a waking nightmare
Wrong!
Being made fun of by the “popular group”
Wrong!
There isn’t even a “popular group”
High school is honestly a vibe.
The teachers in middle school…
They had you all worked up for nothing
Saying:
“In high school, they show you no mercy”
“In high school, they take no late work, so all of you are in trouble”
“In high school, they give you so much work you’ll have less and less free time”
I mean… if I’m being truly honest, middle school was harder.
I don’t know why.
It just was.
Where you belong
In high school, you can find your place
I’ve already found mine.
I came to high school with a clear mind
“I want to try something new,” I said
I made it my new years resolution for 2021
That was the first resolution
I’ve ever stuck to.
The New
I joined the marching band.
What a wonderful choice
Life-changing, even.
The New: Part 2
New people
A new experience
Something I never thought was possible
“This is what I want to do”
(This sentence is not part of the poem. This poem chunk is just a sliver of my entire work called "What it's really like". It's basically an ongoing poem-book-type deal (on a google doc) where I continuously write in it anytime I feel strong emotions about anything in my life. I guess you could call it a diary in poem form. It will just keep going until one day I don't feel like writing anymore.)