Growing up, I was always taught that if you want something, you must take action to attain it, even if you were the only one. That’s exactly what I had to do at Tri-Cities High School. My name is Deja Little and on August 1, 2022, my junior year in Tri-cities Performing Arts Magnet Program, I realized my passion and the track I needed to follow to reach my goals. I started my freshman year in the program as a musical theater student. I quickly realized, although I loved music and the arts, that did not quite fulfill my passion and allow me to excel. The magnet program had great curriculums for dance, chorus, band and theater. I learned that there once was a Music Technology program, however it was not recognized because of the lack of participation in that program. After completing some research in our Magnet handbook, I found out Music Technology was still an optional pathway. Knowing that music had been my number 1 love since I was a baby, I was thrilled to find out that I could learn more about music production and engineering in school made me extremely excited to join the program. My parents often laugh and tell the story of me at the early age of 2 years old, how much I loved music. While most little girls my age loved Dora, I watched the “Beyonce Experience” to keep me entertained. By the time I was 5 years old, I was performing as a singer and rapper all over, from the Apollo in NYC to opening in Richmond, Virginia for the famous group “Mindless Behavior”. However, the only downside to my discovery was that it hadn’t been acknowledged since 2014. There was no teacher, no funds, and no students in the actual magnet program. I took it upon myself to meet with our magnet director to see what was going on with the program and that’s when I found out the school was trying to cut it completely out of magnet. Not wanting this to happen, I immediately sprang into action and worked closely with the director to figure out what steps we needed to take to get the program running again. I experienced what life was like as a teacher, administrator, and high school junior all in one. I attended multiple meetings with the Magnet Director and the school officials to present the goal to save the program and strategized how it could be done. Initially, it seemed impossible because I was the only student officially documented as a Music Technology magnet. I met with other students in the magnet program, from freshman to seniors and was surprisingly pleased when I learned there were other students interested in the same magnet but did not know how to pursue it. The Magnet Director and I thoroughly researched the state standards for a Music Technology program, while also drawing inspiration from other schools that had music technology programs. I never imagined being part of a process of this magnitude, however after speaking to other students, especially the freshmen, I knew I had to make a change for the program. So here I am, a senior at Tri-Cities High School who is now the president and ambassador of our Music Technology program. With the help of the Magnet Director and staff we now have a Music Technology teacher, almost 30 students officially documented as Music Technology magnet majors, and a $90,000 grant specifically for our program. I’m glad I got to help others like me showcase their love for music through school.

Every single person that has been in my life, whether it was a teacher, friend, or family member, has each dropped a seed into me that has helped me blossom into a beautiful young woman with multiple facets. However, growing up, my mother poured into me the most. My mother always instilled in me that if you want something, you must take action to attain it, even if you were the only one and that’s exactly what I had to do at Tri-Cities High School on August 1, 2022. My junior year at Tri-Cities Performing arts magnet program, I realized my passion and the track I needed to follow to reach my goals. I started my freshman year in the program as a Musical Theater student. I quickly realized, although I loved music and the arts, that did not quite fulfill my passion and allow me to excel. The magnet program had great curriculums for Dance, Chorus, Band and theater. I learned that there once was a Music Technology program, however it was not recognized because of the lack of participation in that program. After completing some research in our Magnet handbook, I found out Music Technology was still an optional pathway. Knowing that music had been my number 1 love since I was a baby, I was thrilled to find out that I could learn more about music production and engineering in school made me extremely excited to join the program. The only downside was that it hadn’t been acknowledged since 2014. There was no teacher, no funds, and no students in the actual magnet program. I took it upon myself to meet with our magnet director to see what was going on with the program and that’s when I found out the school was trying to cut it completely out of magnet. Not wanting this to happen, I immediately sprang into action and worked closely with the director to figure out what steps we needed to take to get the program running again. I experienced what life was like as a teacher, administrator, and high school junior all in one. I attended multiple meetings with the Magnet Director and the school officials to present the goal to save the program and strategized how it could be done. Initially, it seemed impossible because I was the only student officially documented as a Music Technology magnet. I met with other students in the magnet program, from freshman to seniors and was surprisingly pleased when I learned there were other students interested in the same magnet but did not know how to pursue it. The Magnet Director and I thoroughly researched the state standards for a Music Technology program, while also drawing inspiration from other schools that had music technology programs. I never imagined being part of a process of this magnitude, however after speaking to other students, especially the freshmen, I knew I had to make a change for the program. So here I am, a senior at Tri-Cities High School who is now the president and ambassador of our Music Technology program. With the help of the Magnet Director and staff we now have a Music Technology teacher, almost 30 students officially documented as Music Technology magnet majors, and a $90,000 grant awarded to our program. None of this would've been achieved if it weren't for my mother's guidance and wisdom that propelled me to be comfortable and prepared for situations such as this one. She continues to push me to become the best version of myself and I can't wait to continue to make her proud.

Growing up, I was always taught that if you want something, you must take action to attain it, even if you were the only one. You must be empowered by whatever you want to achieve because once you have that, it doesn't matter if there were multiple people behind you or none. Empowerment isn't simply just a word, it is an action, a mindset. That mindset is exactly what I needed to have to do what I did at Tri-Cities High School. On August 1, 2022, my junior year at Tri-cities Performing arts magnet program, I realized my passion and the track I needed to follow to reach my goals. I started my freshman year in the program as a Musical Theater student. I quickly realized, although I loved music and the arts, that did not quite fulfill my passion and allow me to excel. The magnet program had great curriculums for Dance, Chorus, Band and theater. I learned that there once was a Music Technology program, however it was not recognized because of the lack of participation in that program. After completing some research in our Magnet handbook, I found out Music Technology was still an optional pathway. Knowing that music had been my number 1 love since I was a baby, I was thrilled to find out that I could learn more about music production and engineering in school made me extremely excited to join the program. The only downside was that it hadn’t been acknowledged since 2014. There was no teacher, no funds, and no students in the actual magnet program. I took it upon myself to meet with our magnet director to see what was going on with the program and that’s when I found out the school was trying to cut it completely out of magnet. Not wanting this to happen, I immediately sprang into action and worked closely with the director to figure out what steps we needed to take to get the program running again. I experienced what life was like as a teacher, administrator, and high school junior all in one. I attended multiple meetings with the Magnet Director and the school officials to present the goal to save the program and strategized how it could be done. Initially, it seemed impossible because I was the only student officially documented as a Music Technology magnet. I met with other students in the magnet program, from freshman to seniors and was surprisingly pleased when I learned there were other students interested in the same magnet but did not know how to pursue it. The Magnet Director and I thoroughly researched the state standards for a Music Technology program, while also drawing inspiration from other schools that had music technology programs. I never imagined being part of a process of this magnitude, however after speaking to other students, especially the freshmen, I knew I had to make a change for the program. So here I am, a senior at Tri-Cities High School who is now the president and ambassador of our Music Technology program. With the help of the Magnet Director and staff we now have a Music Technology teacher, almost 30 students officially documented as Music Technology magnet majors, and a $90,000 grant specifically for our program. None of this would have been achieved if I didn't have that determination and grit to keep going even when it felt as if no one else had the same drive as me. Because of that mindset, I was able to create an entirely new program within 1 school year at just 17 years old.

Growing up, I was always taught that if you want something, you must take action to attain it, even if you were the only one. That’s exactly what I had to do at Tri-Cities High School. On August 1, 2022, my junior year at Tri-cities Performing arts magnet program, I realized my passion and the track I needed to follow to reach my goals. I started my freshman year in the program as a Musical Theater student. I quickly realized, although I loved music and the arts, that did not quite fulfill my passion and allow me to excel. The magnet program had great curriculums for Dance, Chorus, Band and theater. I learned that there once was a Music Technology program, however it was not recognized because of the lack of participation in that program. After completing some research in our Magnet handbook, I found out Music Technology was still an optional pathway. Knowing that music had been my number 1 love since I was a baby, I was thrilled to find out that I could learn more about music production and engineering in school made me extremely excited to join the program. The only downside was that it hadn’t been acknowledged since 2014. There was no teacher, no funds, and no students in the actual magnet program. I took it upon myself to meet with our magnet director to see what was going on with the program and that’s when I found out the school was trying to cut it completely out of magnet. Not wanting this to happen, I immediately sprang into action and worked closely with the director to figure out what steps we needed to take to get the program running again. I experienced what life was like as a teacher, administrator, and high school junior all in one. I attended multiple meetings with the Magnet Director and the school officials to present the goal to save the program and strategized how it could be done. Initially, it seemed impossible because I was the only student officially documented as a Music Technology magnet. I met with other students in the magnet program, from freshman to seniors and was surprisingly pleased when I learned there were other students interested in the same magnet but did not know how to pursue it. The Magnet Director and I thoroughly researched the state standards for a Music Technology program, while also drawing inspiration from other schools that had music technology programs. I never imagined being part of a process of this magnitude, however after speaking to other students, especially the freshmen, I knew I had to make a change for the program. So here I am, a senior at Tri-Cities High School who is now the president and ambassador of our Music Technology program. With the help of the Magnet Director and staff we now have a Music Technology teacher, almost 30 students officially documented as Music Technology magnet majors, and a $90,000 grant specifically for our program. None of this would have been achieved if I didn't have that determination and grit to keep going even when it felt as if no one else had the same drive as me. Because of that mindset, I was able to create an entirely new program within 1 school year at 17 years old.

Every single black woman that has been in my life, whether it was a teacher, friend, or family member, has each dropped a seed into me that has helped me blossom into a beautiful young woman with multiple facets. However, growing up, my mother poured into me the most. My mother always instilled in me that if you want something, you must take action to attain it, even if you were the only one and that’s exactly what I had to do at Tri-Cities High School on August 1, 2022. My junior year at Tri-Cities Performing arts magnet program, I realized my passion and the track I needed to follow to reach my goals. I started my freshman year in the program as a Musical Theater student. I quickly realized, although I loved music and the arts, that did not quite fulfill my passion and allow me to excel. The magnet program had great curriculums for Dance, Chorus, Band and theater. I learned that there once was a Music Technology program, however it was not recognized because of the lack of participation in that program. After completing some research in our Magnet handbook, I found out Music Technology was still an optional pathway. Knowing that music had been my number 1 love since I was a baby, I was thrilled to find out that I could learn more about music production and engineering in school made me extremely excited to join the program. The only downside was that it hadn’t been acknowledged since 2014. There was no teacher, no funds, and no students in the actual magnet program. I took it upon myself to meet with our magnet director to see what was going on with the program and that’s when I found out the school was trying to cut it completely out of magnet. Not wanting this to happen, I immediately sprang into action and worked closely with the director to figure out what steps we needed to take to get the program running again. I experienced what life was like as a teacher, administrator, and high school junior all in one. I attended multiple meetings with the Magnet Director and the school officials to present the goal to save the program and strategized how it could be done. Initially, it seemed impossible because I was the only student officially documented as a Music Technology magnet. I met with other students in the magnet program, from freshman to seniors and was surprisingly pleased when I learned there were other students interested in the same magnet but did not know how to pursue it. The Magnet Director and I thoroughly researched the state standards for a Music Technology program, while also drawing inspiration from other schools that had music technology programs. I never imagined being part of a process of this magnitude, however after speaking to other students, especially the freshmen, I knew I had to make a change for the program. So here I am, a senior at Tri-Cities High School who is now the president and ambassador of our Music Technology program. With the help of the Magnet Director and staff we now have a Music Technology teacher, almost 30 students officially documented as Music Technology magnet majors, and a $90,000 grant awarded to our program. None of this would've been achieved if it weren't for my mother's guidance and wisdom that propelled me to be comfortable and prepared for situations such as this one. She continues to push me to become the best version of myself and I can't wait to continue to make her proud.