When I started college I decided to major in music and I thought that was all I was going to do. I initially had an interest in psychology so I made it my minor and enjoyed learning about human behavior. During my second year of college I realized how much I enjoy listening to other people and helping them find solutions to what's troubling them. My interest grew more and more so I decided to apply for a summer job at a nonprofit that works with youth and immigrant high school students. I didn't know what to expect or how the job was going to look like, all I knew is that I was interested in helping younger generations. I started off as a facilitator for the afternoon and sometimes evening programs at the Wellness Center in the High School. When I started this job I was able to witness the work that goes behind nonprofits supporting newcomers and underserved families, it was rewarding for me to serve others in need and be a helping hand to those who need it. The students became comfortable to come to me and talk about school, their lives or hardships that they were going through. One of my roles as a facilitator was to provide workshops that talked about different topics, one of the workshops that I led was the community mental health one. We got to talk about depression, anxiety, trauma, and many other topics that sometimes are stigmatized in the Hispanic community. Most of the students were able to sit in a circle and share their experience. I was overjoyed to see how successful this workshop culminated and to learn that I wanted to serve my community by providing mental health services. After the summer, this nonprofit had an online role for their community mental health program and I got to help other women, young adults, and high schoolers of the community learn about their mental health and ways of coping with their emotions. During my next school year, I added psychology as my major and began to make plans on pursuing a master in the psychology field. I would like to serve underserve communities learn about their mental health and advocate for those who may be going through hardships. Through this experience, I developed learning principles, interpersonal and communication skills that help me to address individual’s needs, foster a supportive learning community, create an inclusive and safe space that encourages dialogue, and respect diverse perspectives. I strive to deliver the care young people need to obtain emotional and physical well-being.

Ever since I was little music has been part of my life. I started to play the violin as a hobby when I was 6 years old but soon after I got accepted into the Music Conservatory in my country, it became my passion. I grew up in Venezuela where I had the opportunity to take music lessons and participate in orchestra through a nonprofit called El Sistema. I would go learn how to play the violin almost every day of the week; sharing with my peers and doing music together made me have a sense of belonging. It also helped me become more disciplined at practicing. During these years of school in the morning and music lessons/orchestra practices in the afternoon; I learned that my mom had breast cancer. Because my country had an extreme scarcity of medical equipment and medication she was forced to move back to Peru where her extended family was. Being apart from her was something that I did not imagine it would ever happen, specially in those conditions. I was in my last year of Middle School and failing every single one of my classes because I wasn't feeling motivated to do anything without my mom by my side. During those times I felt depressed, lonely, and anxious because I did not know what would happen to my mom. Making music and going to orchestra practice was the only thing making me disconnect from my problems and my reality. I remember one orchestra practice we were playing Francesca da Ramini by Tchaikovsky. When we played the main theme I started tearing up because it was such a beautiful melody; it made me feel heard, it made me feel that I was understood, it made me feel relieved from everything I was holding in. That's when I knew music was something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I started practicing rigorously to become the best version of myself, I even improved my grades in school. I started being more optimistic and thinking that everything will be fine, my mom would beat cancer. Years passed by, my mom healed and we moved to the US where I received a scholarship to be part of a college orchestra and get violin lessons. When I got into college I decided to major in music like I had planned. During the first two years of undergrad I realized that I also had another interest; us musician deal with performance anxiety, self-esteem and even perfectionism. It was then when I became interested in mental health and how it can play an important role in a musician's life; this is why I decided to also major in psychology. I would like to help musicians who are dealing with mental health problems related to their career overcome these difficult situation and build resilience to become healthier beings. My mom, my family, orchestra, music and friends were my motto in these difficult times and they helped me find my passion. I started from going to violin lessons and orchestra practice every day of the week when I was a little girl to being able to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

When I think of a woman who has supported me and inspired me in my education and career I can't of no other person than my mom. She's been supporting me ever since I was little; from music classes in kindergarten to paving my way to college now. I am a senior at Andrews University pursuing a double major in Music and Psychology. Initially when I started college I was only pursuing a degree in music and a minor in psychology. I was taking mostly music classes and a couple of psychology classes my sophomore year. When I entered my junior year I started taking a really hard psychology class that I did not enjoy. I remember the first day of class our professor said something along the lines that this class was for upperclassmen only and people who were taking their psychology career seriously. When I heard this, I was intimidated by it and I did not do well in that class, towards the end of the semester I had to audit it becausse I was failing it and it was going to affect my GPA. When I went home back for break I told my mom that I wanted to quit my minor in psychology, I felt like a failure and I felt like psychology wasn't meant to be for me. She was understanding, and validated my emotions; she also reminded me that a grade cannot determine my capability and ability to perform and do well in a certain field. After this conversation I decided to keep my minor and take other psychology classes the following semester. Music was my main focus but I was also exploring other opportunitites through psychology. Spring semester was ending and summer was around the corner, in one of the conversations that I was having with my mom she mentioned that her company had internships and job positions available for psychology students. She e-connected me with the Director of their mental health program and I was able to get an interview with them for a job position as a program facilitator working in a high school Wellness Center ran by this nonprofit. I got the job and during the summer I was able to work with amazing students and supportive co-workers. It was during this summer when I decided that psychology was something that I wanted to pursue long-term. I spoke with my mom about this, and was worried about my financial situation since my music scholarship would end once I was done with the program. Entering my senior year of college my mom decided to support me financially after my music scholarship expired so that I can fulfilled my dream of getting a degree in psychology. Currently I am on my 5th year taking only psychology classes, making that dream possible because of the support of my mom. Looking back to that advise she gave me to not drop my minor in psychology, makes me feel thankful and happy for my future.

Ever since I was little music has been part of my life. I started to play the violin as a hobby when I was 6 years old but soon after I got accepted into the Music Conservatory in my country, it became my passion. I grew up in Venezuela where I had the opportunity to take music lessons and participate in orchestra through a nonprofit called El Sistema. Through them I discovered having a sense of belonging to my orchestra friends and colleagues, we would spend a lot of our time together. During these years of music lessons and orchestra practices after school in the morning; I learned that my mom had breast cancer. Because my country had an extreme escarcity of medical equipment and medication she was forced to move back to Peru where her extended family was. Being apart from her was something that I did not imagine it would ever happen, specially in those conditions. I was in my last year of Middle School and failing every single one of my classes because I wasn't feeling motivated to do anything without my mom by my side. During those times I felt depressed, lonely, and anxious because I did not know what would happen to my mom. Making music and going to orchestra practice was the only thing making me disconnect from my problems and my reality. I remember one orchestra practice we were playing Francesca da Ramini by Tchaikovsky. When we played the main theme I started tearing up because it was such a beautiful melody; it made me feel heard, it made me feel that I was understood, it made me feel relieved from everything I was holding in. That's when I knew music was something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I started practicing rigorously to become the best version of myself, I even improved my grades in school. I started being more optimistic and thinking that everything will be fine, my mom would beat cancer. Years passed by, my mom healed and we moved to the US. During my last year of high school I was able to receive a scholarship to obtain violin lessons for free and play in a college orchestra. Then I got into college and pursued a music degree just like I had planned. During these years at school I realized how much us musician deal with performance anxiety, self-esteem and even perfectionism. It was then when I became interested in mental health and how it can play an important role in a musician's life; this is why I decided to also major in psychology. I would like to help musicians who are dealing with mental health problems related to their career. My mom, my family, orchestra, music and friends were my motto in these difficult times and they helped me find my passion as well as overcoming difficult situations. I started from going to violin lesson and orchestra practice every day of the week to being able to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

I grew up in a country where playing an instrument was common for young kids. Venezuela has one of the biggest organizations that support children through music in the world, I personally decided to learn the violin. This instrument has always been there in my life, it has taught me so many things that make me who I am today. It not only gave me the skill and expertise of playing an instrument, but it also gave me endurance, resilience, discipline, determination, and perseverance. Whenever I play a symphony, violin concerto, or showpiece that I like; My heartbeat races, and I start getting all this adrenaline and excitement, I love what I do with music. As the years kept passing by, the violin became more and more important in my life. I always knew music was something I wanted to pursue as a career. However, there was something else in my life that I found very interesting and that is learning about the human behavior and mind. Fast forward to my junior year of college, I decided to study both, Psychology and Music. Before making my decision of studying psychology, there were many times when I doubted myself and thought it was going to be a lot of work that I did not want to do. looking back on my thoughts about adding another major, I was scared of stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new. I was doing a minor in psychology already so that was enough work for me. As I kept on taking psychology classes, my desire to learn about human behavior grew stronger. By the end of my Junior year, I got an internship with a non-profit called Identity, Inc. We focus on helping and working with minorities such as the Hispanic community. It's been more than six weeks working for the Wellness Center at Gaithersburg High School. We mostly work with students who recently arrived in the US and provide afternoon programs about mental health, personal growth, and tools that will help them to achieve their goals. The more I get to know the students and their stories, the more my desire for doing something for my community grows stronger. Most students that recently arrived in the US have low expectations about their future, they do not feel like they can achieve their goals or aspire for greater things in their lives. I want to be able to provide for them an environment where they feel empowered to achieve their goals in life. That is why I want to have my own non-profit that targets the Hispanic community. I would like to provide workshops where we talk about mental health, music therapy, and music lessons where they can put their minds and hearts into learning a new skill. I see myself as an advocate of the least fortunate so I am really happy with the fields that I chose to pursue.

Music has always been my passion and a very important part of my life. The first time my mom took me to choir was in kindergarten, I was in choir until I decided to play the violin at age six. I was in a program called "El Sistema" back in my home country, Venezuela. There, I learned everything that led me to choose music as my professional career. I was fortunate to be surrounded by amazing experts and teachers who will help me grow as a musician. There were times when I stumbled and thought that music wasn't the right path for me, especially during high school, but I somehow would end up having my path redirected to music. I am grateful for the opportunities I was given by organizations such as "El Sistema" and "Sinfonia por el Peru." With them, I got to know different cultures and learned from renowned musicians. I came to the US seeking asylum with my family, we are still applicants but are able to work legally in the US. When I moved to the US, my senior year of high school, I decided to study music performance in college, so I did. Fast forward to my junior year of college, I have learned more about the culture here and how things work in regards of teaching music and getting music lessons. I started to think that to be able to receive lessons for any instrument, you must pay for it. Therefore, you need to have a certain economic status that allows you to afford these things. When I looked back at my experiences with lessons and music, I never had to pay a single penny for anything; These organizations even gave me a violin until my parents were able to afford an instrument for me. It made me think of the pillars of the programs that I was in; they were targeted for the least fortunate, but these programs expanded so much that reached people from different communities and economic status. Going back to my recent thoughts in how music is a luxurious hobby, I decided that I would want to create a program for children and teenagers in my community. This program will be a nonprofit that provides instruments, lessons, and orchestral experience. I see so many students in the Hispanic community that do not feel capable of achieving their goals in life, but I want them to feel empowered through music. I want them to know that the similar way they achieved this skill of learning an instrument, they could also achieve anything else that comes their way. I am studying music performance and psychology in college. This summer I decided to work in the Wellness Center of Gaithersburg High School where I have had the opportunity to observe, interact and help up-close the Hispanic students of my community. I really want to make a change in my community, and I think I will be able to do that by providing these music programs. That is why I value everything that I am learning in my music and psychology classes. Getting a music degree will help me to be a prepared professional and so it will help me to serve my community.

Music has always been my passion and a very important part of my life. The first time my mom took me to choir was in kindergarten, I was in the choir until I decided to play the violin at age six. I was in a program called "El Sistema" back in my home country, Venezuela. There, I learned everything that led me to choose music as my professional career. I was fortunate to be surrounded by amazing experts and teachers who will help me grow as a musician. There were times when I stumbled and thought that music wasn't the right path for me, especially during high school, but I somehow would end up having my path redirected to music. I am grateful for the opportunities I was given by organizations such as "El Sistema" and "Sinfonia por el Peru." With them, I got to know different cultures and learned from renowned musicians. When I moved to the US, my senior year of high school, I decided to study music performance in college, so I did. Fast forward to my junior year of college, I have learned more about the culture here and how things work in regards to teaching music and getting music lessons. I started to think that to be able to receive lessons for any instrument, you must pay for it. Therefore, you need to have a certain economic status that allows you to afford these things. When I looked back at my experiences with lessons and music, I never had to pay a single penny for anything; They even gave me a violin until my parents were able to afford an instrument for me. It made me think of the pillars of the programs that I was in; they were targeted at the least fortunate, but these programs expanded so much that reached people from different communities and economic statuses. Going back to my recent thoughts on how music is a luxurious hobby, I decided that I would want to create a program for children and teenagers in my community. This program will be a nonprofit that provides instruments, lessons, and orchestral experience. I see so many students in the Hispanic community that do not feel capable of achieving their goals in life, but I want them to feel empowered through music. I want them to know that in the similar way they achieved this skill of learning an instrument, they could also achieve anything else that comes their way. I am studying music performance and psychology in college. This summer I decided to work in the Wellness Center of Gaithersburg High School where I have had the opportunity to observe, interact and help up-close the Hispanic students of my community. I really want to make a change in my community, and I think I will be able to do that by providing these music programs. That is why I value everything that I am learning in my music and psychology classes. Getting a music degree will help me to be a prepared professional and so it will help me to serve my community.

Music has always been my passion and a very important part of my life. The first time my mom took me to choir was in kindergarten, I was in the choir until I decided to play the violin at age six. I was in a program called "El Sistema" back in my home country, Venezuela. There, I learned everything that led me to choose music as my professional career. There were times when I stumbled and thought that music wasn't the right path for me, especially during high school, but I somehow would end up having my path redirected to music. I am grateful for the opportunities I was given by organizations such as "El Sistema" and "Sinfonia por el Peru." When I moved to the US, my senior year of high school, I decided to study music performance in college. Fast forward to my junior year of college, I have learned more about the culture here and how things work in regards to teaching music and getting music lessons. I started to think that to be able to receive lessons for any instrument, you must pay for it. Therefore, you need to have a certain economic status that allows you to afford these things. When I looked back at my experiences with lessons and music, I never had to pay a single penny for anything; They even gave me a violin until my parents were able to afford an instrument for me. It made me think of the pillars of the programs that I was in; they were targeted at the least fortunate, but these programs expanded so much that reached people from different communities and economic statuses. Going back to my recent thoughts on how music is a luxurious hobby, I decided that I would want to create a program for children and teenagers in my community. This program will be a nonprofit that provides instruments, lessons, and orchestral experience. I see so many students in the Hispanic community that do not feel capable of achieving their goals in life, but I want them to feel empowered through music. I really want to make a change in my community, and I think I will be able to do that by providing these music programs. Getting a music degree will help me to be a prepared professional and so it will help me to serve my community.

Music has always been my passion and a very important part of my life. The first time my mom took me to choir was in kindergarten, I was in choir until I decided to play the violin at age six. I was in a program called "El Sistema" back in my home country, Venezuela. There, I learned everything that led me to choose music as my professional career. I was fortunate to be surrounded by amazing experts and teachers who will help me grow as a musician. There were times when I stumbled and thought that music wasn't the right path for me, especially during high school, but I somehow would end up having my path redirected to music. I am grateful for the opportunities I was given by organizations such as "El Sistema" and "Sinfonia por el Peru." With them, I got to know different cultures and learned from renowned musicians. When I moved to the US, my senior year of high school, I decided to study music performance in college, so I did. Fast forward to my junior year of college, I have learned more about the culture here and how things work in regards of teaching music and getting music lessons. I started to think that to be able to receive lessons for any instrument, you must pay for it. Therefore, you need to have a certain economic status that allows you to afford these things. When I looked back at my experiences with lessons and music, I never had to pay a single penny for anything; These organizations even gave me a violin until my parents were able to afford an instrument for me. It made me think of the pillars of the programs that I was in; they were targeted for the least fortunate, but these programs expanded so much that reached people from different communities and economic status. Going back to my recent thoughts in how music is a luxurious hobby, I decided that I would want to create a program for children and teenagers in my community. This program will be a nonprofit that provides instruments, lessons, and orchestral experience. I see so many students in the Hispanic community that do not feel capable of achieving their goals in life, but I want them to feel empowered through music. I want them to know that the similar way they achieved this skill of learning an instrument, they could also achieve anything else that comes their way. I am studying music performance and psychology in college. This summer I decided to work in the Wellness Center of Gaithersburg High School where I have had the opportunity to observe, interact and help up-close the Hispanic students of my community. I really want to make a change in my community, and I think I will be able to do that by providing these music programs. That is why I value everything that I am learning in my music and psychology classes. Getting a music degree will help me to be a prepared professional and so it will help me to serve my community.