I come from a very musical family. My dad is a musician who played drums, guitar, and bass, and has played in a lot of bands. My mom can sing, my aunt and uncle attended WVU for music and became very accomplished teachers and musicians. I have been surrounded by music since I was a baby. I’ve been singing and playing instruments since I was very young, and also took vocal lessons as well. I realized at an early age that I wanted to make music my career. My older brother was in a band of other musicians with autism, and I used to go to all of his shows to help with setup and tear down. The drummer is barely verbal, but can play the drums very well. I learned through watching them, that no matter what your situation is, if you want to do it bad enough, you’ll do what it takes to achieve your goal. It also taught me that just about anything is possible with music. I’m very involved in my high school marching band, concert band, jazz band, and performing in plays and musicals. I’ve also worked behind the scenes with moving sets and was a student lighting director. I perform outside of school any chance I get. I would like to attend college to learn everything I can about the business side of music and also learning more about the performance side as well. Music has gotten me through a lot of tough times. I would like to show others that music can heal as well as entertain. I am a first generation college student, and four people in my family are disabled. My dad has MS and Parkinson’s disease, my mom has vascular tumors in the brain and spinal cord, and my two older brothers have autism, so we have a lot of challenges both medically and financially. My parents didn’t have the chance to send my two older brothers to college, due to the issues they have with autism and our very limited income, and because of that, they wanted to make sure that I was going to be able to go. I also want to continue the musical legacy in my family and this scholarship will give me the best opportunity to achieve that goal. Going to college would set me on the path to a lifelong career of music like I’ve always dreamed.

I was so excited to see my favorite singer Carrie Underwood when I was 6 years old. I went with my mom out to dinner at iHop before the concert. My favorite! It was my first concert, and I was just in awe, and maybe a little scared because the building was so big. It was really crowded and there were so many people that were there. I was a little nervous that we had to go down some really steep steps to get to our seats, and felt like I would fall down to the stage. Once we were in our seats, I was so excited I could hardly wait for it to start. I loved all the lights and lasers, but was a little surprised at how loud it was, and not sure if I liked that or not. I loved how great of a singer she is. She sounded even better in person. I knew every word to every song. My mom says that people who were sitting around us laughed all night, and enjoyed the show even more because I was dancing and singing the whole time. They couldn’t believe that someone so young knew every word. I remember how beautiful Carrie is, and how she changed her clothes a bunch of times. She had a fiddle player, which I thought was cool since I was starting to play the violin. I remember having the best time, but being really tired afterwards. My mom says I fell asleep almost immediately in the car, and my Dad had to carry me in the house when we got home. The next day, I was excited to tell everyone at school about the concert and to wear my Carrie Underwood concert shirt that my mom bought me. I’ve been hooked on concerts since that night! Other than my first concert being a favorite, I have had the chance to volunteer with my brothers band many many times since I was 9 years old. He was in a band called Spectrum. The band had musicians who had autism spectrum disorder. My brother plays guitar, Christopher who couldn’t talk much at all could play the drums really well. Bobby, was great on the piano, and my God Father played bass for them for a long time, until they found someone. I was just so surprised at how talented they are, even though they had a disability. They sometimes had meltdowns which made it a little scary, but it always worked out. They were so good that they didn’t really even need to practice a whole lot. A musician friend who worked with them said they are like a machine. As soon as they got on stage, they just blew the place away. I was always so proud of them, and happy to be a part of it. I loved that I got to be a roadie and help set up a lot of equipment for their shows. I come from a very musical family, and play multiple instruments and sing. I think part of the reason I’m going to college for music is because of my 7 years that I was part of the Spectrum Band shows. I got a lot of experience, and saw how much fun it is to perform. I’ve gone to many concerts since then, but my brother’s smaller shows were really my favorite. Thank you for this opportunity for the scholarship! Brandon Laus

I’m sorry for your loss of the beautiful Kalia. She sounds like a person I’d like to be like. It’s not the same as what you’ve been through with Kalia, but my family has many medical challenges. My Dad has Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease. My Mom has vascular brain and spinal cord tumors called Cavernous Angiomas, and she has survived cancer. Both of my brothers have autism. My middle brother gets very violent, and has destroyed parts of our house and has hurt my Dad so bad, that he had to have surgery. Life is not easy, but my parents have taught me the value of hard work, how to push through the bad stuff, and enjoy the little things in life. They’ve taught me to focus on helping others, and it will make what I’m going through seem less difficult. Almost a year ago, my parents didn’t hesitate when I asked, and took in a friend of mine who was in a really bad situation. It’s looking like she will be with us indefinitely, but my parents insist they’ll continue to care for her as long as she needs us. They do anything they can to help others, even though they struggle so much on their own, and have taught me to do the same. I’ve volunteered at the Pittsburgh food bank, I help my elderly neighbors with yard work, shoveling snow, and walking their dogs. I drive friends to and from work so they can keep their jobs. I help out any way I possibly can, but what I’m most proud of is my involvement with Band Together Pittsburgh. My older brother with autism is in the band Spectrum. It’s a group of musicians with autism. Some local musicians were so blown away by them, that they formed an organization called Band Together Pittsburgh. My need to help others, and my love of music, led me to be a proud volunteer. I’m so lucky to have been a part of it since the very beginning. I’ve helped bring music events to people with autism. Band Together Pittsburgh has volunteer musicians teach them to play or perform on their own level. They have open stages, drum circles and concerts. It’s been a huge part of my life since I was 10. I have traveled with and supported the band to help them perform their shows. I have helped at Band Together events and did whatever they needed me to do. I worked the different stations at events such as the ticket entrance, kitchen and snack bar. I’ve loaded, unloaded, set up and tore down musical instruments and equipment for the stage. I helped collect items to make raffle baskets, and sold merchandise to raise money for the organization. I have met so many special people! It’s been an awesome thing to be a part of. If you’re interested: https://www.facebook.com/BandTogetherPGH/ https://m.facebook.com/SpectrumBandPgh/ My parents both had good jobs they loved. My Dad worked in IT at Alcoa, and my Mom worked in cardiology at our local hospital. They both had to go on social security disability because of their health. I’m the first in our family to hope to go to college. With the loss of their careers, my parents have zero taxable income. I plan to continue working when I go to college, and will contribute everything I can to my tuition and expenses. I hope you will consider me for your scholarship. Not just for me, but for my parents who are deserving too. I promise I will work hard to make everyone proud. Thank you, Brandon Laus

I come from a very musical family. My dad is a musician who played drums, guitar, and bass, and has played in a lot of bands. My mom can sing, my aunt and uncle attended WVU for music and became very accomplished teachers and musicians. I have been surrounded by music since I was a baby. I’ve been singing and playing instruments since I was very young, and also took vocal lessons as well. I realized at an early age that I wanted to make music my career. My older brother was in a band of other musicians with autism, and I used to go to all of his shows to help with setup and tear down. The drummer is barely verbal, but can play the drums very well. I learned through watching them, that no matter what your situation is, if you want to do it bad enough, you’ll do what it takes to achieve your goal. It also taught me that just about anything is possible with music. I’m very involved in my high school marching band, concert band, jazz band, and performing in plays and musicals. I’ve also worked behind the scenes with moving sets and was a student lighting director. I perform outside of school any chance I get. I would like to attend college to learn everything I can about the business side of music and also learning more about the performance side as well. Music has gotten me through a lot of tough times. I would like to show others that music can heal as well as entertain. I am a first generation college student, and four people in my family are disabled. My dad has MS and Parkinson’s disease, my mom has vascular tumors in the brain and spinal cord, and my two older brothers have autism, so we have a lot of challenges both medically and financially. My parents didn’t have the chance to send my two older brothers to college, due to the issues they have with autism and our very limited income, and because of that, they wanted to make sure that I was going to be able to go. I also want to continue the musical legacy in my family and this scholarship will give me the best opportunity to achieve that goal. Going to college would set me on the path to a lifelong career of music like I’ve always dreamed.

I come from a very musical family. My dad is a musician who played drums, guitar, and bass, and has played in a lot of bands. My mom can sing, my aunt and uncle attended WVU for music and became very accomplished teachers and musicians. I have been surrounded by music since I was a baby. I’ve been singing and playing instruments since I was very young, and also took vocal lessons as well. I realized at an early age that I wanted to make music my career. My older brother was in a band of other musicians with autism, and I used to go to all of his shows to help with setup and tear down. The drummer is barely verbal, but can play the drums very well. I learned through watching them, that no matter what your situation is, if you want to do it bad enough, you’ll do what it takes to achieve your goal. It also taught me that just about anything is possible with music. I’m very involved in my high school marching band, concert band, jazz band, and performing in plays and musicals. I’ve also worked behind the scenes with moving sets and was a student lighting director. I perform outside of school any chance I get. I would like to attend college to learn everything I can about the business side of music and also learning more about the performance side as well. Music has gotten me through a lot of tough times. I would like to show others that music can heal as well as entertain. I am a first generation college student, and four people in my family are disabled. My dad has MS and Parkinson’s disease, my mom has vascular tumors in the brain and spinal cord, and my two older brothers have autism, so we have a lot of challenges both medically and financially. My parents didn’t have the chance to send my two older brothers to college, due to the issues they have with autism and our very limited income, and because of that, they wanted to make sure that I was going to be able to go. I also want to continue the musical legacy in my family and this scholarship will give me the best opportunity to achieve that goal. Going to college would set me on the path to a lifelong career of music like I’ve always dreamed.