November of 2023 was a very eventful month; I had won my school's vocal division of the concerto competition, I was preparing a lead role for my conservatory's opera mainstage, and my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer. This news shook my world. Suddenly, my father had to take several days off each month for her treatments. My mother could no longer handle her employment as my grandmother's caretaker. Because of this, my grandmother, who previously lived with us, is now in an assisted living facility. This has posed a significant financial strain on my family. This sent me into a deep spiral of depression. I felt guilty for being away from my Michigan home, studying in Chicago. Yet, I could not heal the cancer by being home. Through this time my mother insisted that I kept singing, yet I felt like my music was useless. My mother would call me and tell me how songs she encountered would make her day brighter. I used to strive for musical excellence, and I still do, but now I primarily want my music to inspire hope. To bear people away, even if it is just for a moment, to a plain of existence that is free of the burdens of their lives. My very supportive, generous, and self-sacrificing parents insisted that my sister and I complete our degrees and would not limit or ask us for assistance. However, I knew that I needed to be in Michigan as soon as I graduated. I am passionate about attending the University of Michigan and would love nothing more than to attend, but the financial burden of tuition makes this problematic. I have continued my musical education through the summers because I constantly seek and apply for scholarships. I am fully prepared to also work through graduate school, but at any time, I might have to take off work if my mother's or grandmother's condition worsens. Scholarships like this one are my saving grace for continuing the life of my song. I have always worked multiple jobs whilst in undergrad to pay for extra coaching and student tickets for the symphony and opera, but also for necessities such as food and clothes. Thankfully, most of my jobs have been in music, as section leader and soloist at a church, music teacher, and director. Every week I sing alongside women, some of whom have themselves battled cancer, I watch how despite being in pain they find joy in the community of song. I intend to share song and empower others to sing through my private teaching and by working in local organizations. I want to continue to share music especially in public schools and assisted living facilities.

Music is my life preserver. Through chronic illness, mental health struggles, and grief music has and continues to save my life. Pain is a powerful isolator, but music is a shared experience with others across time and space. I have the privilege to attend Wheaton Conservatory for vocal performance, I am consistently struck by the privilege in the conservatory. I have been the given the gift of a loving and supportive family that possesses the monetary assets necessary to foster my passion. My privilege demands the responsibility of advocating for those who were not given such a gift. Music has healed my heart and I strive to empower others who feel as if they cannot contribute a verse to join in the sound. The calling to share music is where my outreach program was born. “Songs of my Sisters” is a project that aims to empower others through art song written by women. Art song is a form of classical vocal music where a composer is inspired by a poem and highlights the power of language through the potency of music. Singing art song taught me that music like life is not about finding affirmation from an audience but allowing them to be moved by your story. In art song, four stories meet, the message of the poet, the inspiration of the musician, the interpretation of the performer, and the reception of the listener. This space where people meet is a sacred space of connection, empowerment, creativity, and love, yet it is almost exclusively reserved for audiences that possess the monetary assets. We also live in a landscape still dominated by the stories of the privileged, but I aim with this project to share the stories of women from many different cultures by providing free shorter concerts at schools, nursing homes, and other community centers in the Chicago area over this next year. I want to help break down the monetary and temporal barriers that keep people from experiencing live performances of art song. The goal is to expose people to great literature and music, and to spread the stories of women who were often overlooked by their society. Through the songs of these women, others who once felt powerless and overlooked in society can realize that their own stories matter. The following playlist is me singing two art songs by the poet Emily Dickinson and the composer Aaron Copland.