Ever since I was a child, I saw the world from an unconventional viewpoint. I was first diagnosed with asthma when I was a baby, but I also had an unending amount of pain throughout my body. I did not understand what this pain was because it felt normal to me. I thought everyone had pain in their body like me, but that was untrue. When I was 11 years old, I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. At that time, I did not know how much of an effect this diagnosis would have on my life. At the beginning of my 6th year, I had severe stomach pain along with aching and swelling throughout my body. Due to the immense amount of pain I was in, this experience made it difficult to go to school. So, my parents and I decided to continue my studies at home during this challenging period. The cause of the stomach pain ended up being an ulcer the size of a “middle-aged alcoholic.” It was then explained to me what rheumatoid arthritis was. Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the body’s immune system attacking itself. After this diagnosis, I was then diagnosed with other conditions such as hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia, and Hidradenitis suppurativa. During my adolescent years, I learned a lot about my disabilities. When I was 13, I was the youngest patient in the Pain Management Program at St. Jude’s Medical Center. I learned so much from the specialists there and had the privilege of studying physical therapy, occupational therapy, biofeedback therapy, and my own psyche with regional professionals. Due to this program, I was able to graduate with my 8th-grade class. In high school, I was also in a program called dual enrollment. I would attend my classes for 3 periods and take independent studies for the remaining courses. After high school, I went to Fullerton College and received my Associate’s Degree for Transfer in vocal performance. Currently, I am attending Chapman University and will graduate in Spring 2024, earning a Bachelor’s in Music with an emphasis in vocal performance. My invisible disabilities have changed not only my worldview but my mentality. I believe that my disabilities gave me the ability to believe in myself. Since I was young, I had to advocate for myself from other students, their parents, and teachers. There have been many times people have tried to criticize me and my disabilities due to their ignorance, but the truth is that my disabilities do not define my ability. My disabilities have taught me to be accepting and understanding of everyone’s situations. I plan to advocate for the autoimmune community by joining local events hosted by the Arthritis Foundation. I also will continue to sing and perform because music is healing. I want to be a role model for children who are struggling with rheumatoid arthritis. The life experiences I have received from my disabilities have motivated me to achieve my academic and career goals. I can use this experience for my future endeavors by persevering and dedicating myself to work as best as possible. Of course, there are good and bad days, but that makes life beautiful. My disabilities are special and unique to me. Life is about coping and adapting to obstacles. I do not apologize for my disabilities because they are part of me and make me who I am. I will never apologize for being me.

Ever since I was a little girl, music has lived within me. It moves me and feels as if it is the way I best communicate with others. I am passionate about music due to my family and life experiences. When I was younger, I would take trips to Hawaii to visit my mother’s side of the family, and we would always sing karaoke together. I usually sang gibberish into the microphone, but I did not care. My 2-year-old self had a lot to communicate and wanted others to listen! As I grew older, I would compose songs and tunes in my own free time to cope with the hardships of living with chronic illness. When I was nine years old, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. My whole life changed before it even started. After diagnosis after diagnosis, I was homeschooled for most of middle and high school. I was in severe depression during this time, but the only thing that made me persevere was music and language. Words have so much meaning in every language. When the two are combined, it creates something beautiful. So, I learned as many songs as possible in many languages, played piano by ear, and composed little melodies that I would perform for my family. When I graduated high school, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in vocal performance. I studied at Fullerton College from 2018 to 2021 and received an Associate of Arts Degree. I then transferred to Chapman University, where I now study and perform in the vocal arts; I sing in styles such as opera, classical, contemporary, choral, etc. I am expected to graduate in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Performance with a Vocal Emphasis. One of the most important things in society is representation. I think it is important for minorities to be recognized in the music industry as performers and educators. Since I am multiracial and have an invisible disability, I never encountered other musicians on TV and in the media who were similar to me. As a performer and instructor, I want to show the younger generation that performers come in different shades, shapes, sizes, and bodies. I plan to give back to today's youth through performance and private instruction. I would love to inspire the youth as my instructors and voice teachers have throughout my life. After all, music is a form of expression and a language in itself.

Hannah Prince hprince@chapman.edu Grant Woolard Memorial Scholarship 26 July 2022 Ever since I was born, I have known that music would play an essential role in my life. My name is Hannah Prince, and I am a 23-year-old college student attending Chapman University. I transferred to Chapman University in the Fall of 2021 from Fullerton College. At Fullerton, I received my associate’s degree in music. I am now a vocal performance major and an Italian minor at Chapman University. My goal is to spread my love for music to everyone I meet. Music was my best friend; I made up little hooks and melodies at the age of five, sang karaoke with family, or even listened to my favorite Disney albums on my portable CD player. At specific moments in my life, I felt like music was the only thing there for me. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other medical issues at nine years old. Since my rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia were prominently debilitating to my body, I had to study from home during middle and high school. However, my physical health was not the only thing taking its toll on me. Mentally, I felt like I was the only girl in existence trapped in a dark void. To this day, I know music saved me from myself. I wrote songs, sang covers on a karaoke phone app, and learned how to make choral arrangements using computer software. The pieces I wrote felt like my friends. During independent home studies, I also found an interest in foreign languages. Initially, I started watching Japanese anime and fell in love with the songs performed in them. I am part Japanese, so it made me want to continue singing in that language. Afterward, I started listening to a German rock band called Tokio Hotel and started learning how to sing in German. When I entered community college as a music major, I studied classical music and music theory. I can now sing in Japanese, German, Italian, French, English, Spanish, and Korean. I am also learning Italian as a second spoken language. I enjoy learning about different cultures and ensuring everyone’s story is heard. After all, music is a language in itself. As I started studying classical voice, I became more interested in the linguistics of foreign languages. I learned about the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and translated the pronunciations of each syllable whenever I received a new piece. While studying and practicing, I picked up the habit of translating everything I sing and see to the exact translation for every art song, aria, and opera score. Music is a part of me and will always play an important role in my life. It reminds me of how far I have come and how I will continue to strive for improvement. Music taught me to love foreign languages and the beauty of the scores I sing. I am pursuing music because I purely love it. In a way, I owe my life to music. For this reason, I strive to share my love for it. Whether composing, performing, or teaching a voice lesson, my goal is to help others discover their best friend, just as I did.