I have chosen to become a musician because of the pursuit of the music itself. To me, there is nothing more special than when all the parts of music, regardless of genre, come together to create something inspiring. This experience could be in the form of listening to my favorite recordings, going to concerts, or even playing a casual duo gig with a friend. Right now, my career and educational goals are more about figuring out who I want to become than having an end goal of a specific career. Even though I don't have an exact answer to the question of what I want to do, I think my experiences during my first semester in college have helped me form a clearer idea of what I want to pursue. I am currently studying jazz guitar performance at Juilliard. In this supportive environment of students and faculty, I am growing as a musician and an artist by gaining valuable knowledge about the history and essence of jazz music while also exploring different ways to approach art. Studying at Juilliard is helping me better understand what it means to be a musician and the possibilities associated with it. From thinking about my relationship to music while being at Juilliard, I have developed a general concept of what I would want to do if I pursued a career as a musician. I’ve learned from my favorite class, which is small ensemble, and from jam sessions with friends, that what I really love is sharing music with others through playing with them – and that, at least for now, I do not enjoy playing for large audiences (even though that is a great way to share music). I recognize that this is not a common way for the performing arts to be shared in more structured contexts, but I believe sharing music in this way creates a different experience for everyone involved than the concerts that we are used to. If I decide to pursue a career as a musician in this way, I will have to face the challenge of how to go about sharing this art with others, especially those with less access to the arts, while maintaining an intimate environment and having a sustainable business model. Possible solutions I've considered are short one-on-one concerts and performances in-the-round, where the audience is spread out among the musicians in the circle. I still have a lot to figure out, but my first semester at Juilliard has helped me get closer to my goal than ever before, and I look forward to further exploring these questions.