My whole life, I have loved the act of creating. I’ve always leaned into the arts and have found joy and growth through them, whether it be learning more about myself and expressing myself, or connecting with others through making something together. I’ve filled notebook after notebook with everything I could imagine since I was very young, and I began taking ballet classes and viola lessons when I was about 6. As I grew older, my mother started teaching me piano, and I eventually went on to take voice lessons and join several choirs. Near the end of high school, I also became involved in theater—acting, helping with costumes and makeup, and doing backstage work. Across the many different arts that I’ve loved creating and being a part of, I look back and can see a shared inspiration throughout them all: the passion of my teachers. I have had the privilege to work with many people who have taught me to lean into my creativity and to love learning—people who truly loved what they did, something that you could see in the joy that overflowed into their students. One that stands out to me the most is my first viola teacher. He taught me from when I was a small child until I was in my mid-teens, so as I grew up, he was like another father to me. Making music was his life, and going to my weekly lessons was something that always brightened my day. His enthusiasm and encouragement, his sense of humor and dedication, his optimism and cheerful chaos, his patience and artistry…all this has shaped me over the years. All the time I spent with him meant so much to me. But on September 28, 2019, he passed on to heaven after a yearlong battle with a very rare form of cancer. To this day, I grieve very deeply for him. Yet I hold very close all that he taught me and because of him, I know I will continue to play viola my whole life. His passion has inspired my own passion for what I do. I am so thankful for his light in my life, and I know that same light will carry on endlessly even after death, through all the people he inspired. Because of him, I am in my 12th year of playing my instrument. I am also currently pursuing a degree in music. Because of him, I am considering getting a Master's degree in viola performance after college. Because of him, I have a longtime goal of playing in a professional orchestra that he once played in, and I also hope to share my passion for music by teaching others someday.

My history with music begins with my parents: my dad, who is a music historian, and my mom, who is a church organist, pianist, and flutist. When I was very young, they asked me what instrument I would like to play, and I chose viola out of curiosity. As I studied with my viola teacher, my love for the instrument grew. It is one of the things I love the most now, over 12 years later. My teacher was like a father to me, and he was always there to encourage me, make me laugh, and guide me as I grew up. As I got older, my mom started giving me piano lessons and I found a passion for that as well. While practicing, I can lose track of time and go on for hours—it is such a beautiful experience that I’m extremely grateful for. I also began taking voice lessons before college, and now I’m in three choirs at school: concert choir, chamber choir, and Gospel choir. My major in music is something that I always planned on working towards, because of the huge impact music has had throughout my entire life. Because of my parents, I was also exposed to a wide variety of music throughout my life: classical, jazz, classic rock, Gospel, folk, blues, soul, R&B, global music, and more…it has been an influential aspect of my life, and I’m thankful that they have cultivated such a vast range of music in our household, which has impacted me in many ways and has so flexibly shaped my musical tastes. Another thing that has shaped my passion for music was living on the other side of the world for half a year. My family went to Indonesia because my dad was teaching at a seminary there for one semester, and I learned and grew so much every day I spent there. I was 15 at the time, and I had the opportunity to join the two seminary choirs and the string ensemble. Those rehearsals and performances were some of my first times singing with other people and developing my vocal technique, and we sang music both in Indonesian and English. It was so interesting to learn music in a new culture—for example, the way we sightread new music was different than I was used to. Living in Indonesia opened my eyes to how different music can be around the world, and it was also such a fascinating experience to sing more in another language that I was beginning to understand more and more of (I was also taking a course in school to learn Bahasa Indonesia). Over this past summer, I was able to take an ethnomusicology course with a professor who had done a lot of her fieldwork in Indonesia. Through that class, I was able to learn more about Indonesian music and the history of people making music all around the world. Since I’m also interested in the study of people and psychology, I have become very intrigued by ethnomusicology and how music impacts different people, as well as how various people express themselves through music in different cultures and contexts. Music is one of the things I am most passionate about, and I know that my deeply-rooted love for it will continue throughout my whole life. Music has taught me about myself and about those around me, and it has been a way for me to express myself. I have also formed many connections and been inspired by those around me through music, and I aspire to never stop learning and growing as a musician.