I started my music journey in 4th grade, playing the viola as part of an orchestra in New York City. In 6th grade, my family and I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I continued to play the viola in middle school. However, before my first year of high school, my family moved again, this time to Gastonia, NC. Unfortunately, no schools in the area offered orchestras, but they did have bands. I decided to try something new and learn to play the saxophone during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the summer of 2022, I auditioned for a full-ride scholarship to Cannon Music Camp at Appalachian State University through the Gaston Music Education Foundation. I was accepted and attended the camp. After attending camp, I felt inspired to start a saxophone quartet at my school. We've played at school concerts, parks, and small coffee shops. Once ready to compete, we tried out for Solo and Ensemble MPA and got a Superior ranking. That following summer, I applied for smaller scholarships to attend Brevard College for their Saxophone Summer Institute for three weeks. Upon my return, I felt a strong need to improve the band program at our school by utilizing the knowledge I had gained at the camps I attended. To achieve this, I decided to start a Brass Quintet with the younger members of the band with the aim of helping them grow and become better musicians. I am teaching them to be self-sufficient and motivated so they can carry on with these ensembles even after I graduate. I aspire to inspire more students to join ensembles, attend music camps, and explore other musical opportunities to develop their skills as individuals, musicians, and leaders. In college, I aim to become a band director and inspire others with the magic of music. My life experiences have helped me become a hardworking and self-driven individual who never takes no for an answer. I moved to the United States from Colombia when I was nine and learned that the only limit in life is myself. I never thought I could learn another language in a different country, fit into a different culture, or even learn to play an instrument. But with passion and persistence, one can achieve many things. My desire to become a band director arose in my junior year when I demonstrated the saxophone basics to rising sixth-graders. Teaching them how to play the saxophone made me realize my love for it. Witnessing their excitement when they made a sound on it, and even their parents' pride in them, encouraged me to continue teaching others. Obtaining this scholarship will benefit me as it will provide me with a more challenging and enriched educational experience. This experience will help me to develop crucial skills such as critical thinking, leadership, and communication, which are essential for a band director. With this preparation, I will excel in my field and positively impact my future students. As a global citizen, I understand the importance of advocating for music education worldwide, and the skills I develop at College will enable me to do so effectively. I am excited to contribute to a more culturally enriched and connected society.

I started my music journey in 4th grade, playing the viola as part of an orchestra in New York City. In 6th grade, my family and I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I continued to play the viola in middle school. However, before my first year of high school, my family moved again, this time to Gastonia, NC. Unfortunately, no schools in the area offered orchestras, but they did have bands. I decided to try something new and learn to play the saxophone during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the summer of 2022, I auditioned for a full-ride scholarship to Cannon Music Camp at Appalachian State University through the Gaston Music Education Foundation. I was accepted and attended the camp. After attending camp, I felt inspired to start a saxophone quartet at my school. We've played at school concerts, parks, and small coffee shops. Once ready to compete, we tried out for Solo and Ensemble MPA and got a Superior ranking. That following summer, I applied for smaller scholarships to attend Brevard College for their Saxophone Summer Institute for three weeks. Upon my return, I felt a strong need to improve the band program at our school by utilizing the knowledge I had gained at the camps I attended. To achieve this, I decided to start a Brass Quintet with the younger members of the band with the aim of helping them grow and become better musicians. I am teaching them to be self-sufficient and motivated so they can carry on with these ensembles even after I graduate. I aspire to inspire more students to join ensembles, attend music camps, and explore other musical opportunities to develop their skills as individuals, musicians, and leaders. In college, I aim to become a band director and inspire others with the magic of music. My life experiences have helped me become a hardworking and self-driven individual who never takes no for an answer. I moved to the United States from Colombia when I was nine and learned that the only limit in life is myself. I never thought I could learn another language in a different country, fit into a different culture, or even learn to play an instrument. But with passion and persistence, one can achieve many things. My desire to become a band director arose in my junior year when I demonstrated the saxophone basics to rising sixth-graders. Teaching them how to play the saxophone made me realize my love for it. Witnessing their excitement when they made a sound on it, and even their parents' pride in them, encouraged me to continue teaching others. Obtaining this scholarship will benefit me as it will provide me with a more challenging and enriched educational experience. This experience will help me to develop crucial skills such as critical thinking, leadership, and communication, which are essential for a band director. With this preparation, I will excel in my field and positively impact my future students. As a global citizen, I understand the importance of advocating for music education worldwide, and the skills I develop at College will enable me to do so effectively. I am excited to contribute to a more culturally enriched and connected society.

I started my music journey in 4th grade, playing the viola as part of an orchestra in New York City. In 6th grade, my family and I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I continued to play the viola in middle school. However, before my first year of high school, my family moved again, this time to Gastonia, NC. Unfortunately, no schools in the area offered orchestras, but they did have bands. I decided to try something new and learn to play the saxophone during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the summer of 2022, I auditioned for a full-ride scholarship to Cannon Music Camp at Appalachian State University through the Gaston Music Education Foundation. I was accepted and attended the camp. After attending camp, I felt inspired to start a saxophone quartet at my school. We've played at school concerts, parks, and small coffee shops. Once ready to compete, we tried out for Solo and Ensemble MPA and got a Superior ranking. That following summer, I applied for smaller scholarships to attend Brevard College for their Saxophone Summer Institute for three weeks. Upon my return, I felt a strong need to improve the band program at our school by utilizing the knowledge I had gained at the camps I attended. To achieve this, I decided to start a Brass Quintet with the younger members of the band with the aim of helping them grow and become better musicians. I am teaching them to be self-sufficient and motivated so they can carry on with these ensembles even after I graduate. I aspire to inspire more students to join ensembles, attend music camps, and explore other musical opportunities to develop their skills as individuals, musicians, and leaders. In college, I aim to become a band director and inspire others with the magic of music. My life experiences have helped me become a hardworking and self-driven individual who never takes no for an answer. I moved to the United States from Colombia when I was nine and learned that the only limit in life is myself. I never thought I could learn another language in a different country, fit into a different culture, or even learn to play an instrument. But with passion and persistence, one can achieve many things. My desire to become a band director arose in my junior year when I demonstrated the saxophone basics to rising sixth-graders. Teaching them how to play the saxophone made me realize my love for it. Witnessing their excitement when they made a sound on it, and even their parents' pride in them, encouraged me to continue teaching others. Obtaining this scholarship will benefit me as it will provide me with a more challenging and enriched educational experience. This experience will help me to develop crucial skills such as critical thinking, leadership, and communication, which are essential for a band director. With this preparation, I will excel in my field and positively impact my future students. As a global citizen, I understand the importance of advocating for music education worldwide, and the skills I develop at College will enable me to do so effectively. I am excited to contribute to a more culturally enriched and connected society.

Learning Through Immersion When I was nine, my mother told me we were going on an adventure. She meant to say, “We will move 4,000 kilometers across the world to a place that speaks an unknown language and has a completely different culture.” Since I can remember, my mom has always taken many “adventures,” but what it meant was risks. She divorced my biological dad two years after I was born, we always moved around, and she changed jobs for as long as I can remember. But it always felt she was not entirely satisfied and needed something more. After trying for a couple of years, we finally got our visas. In June 2015, we made the big jump to move from Bogota, Colombia, to Long Island, New York. I remember the 12-hour plane ride with two stops before landing. Landing in Florida was one of our first wake-up calls when we had no clue what the signs said. I still remember the look on Mom’s face when she was trying to decipher where we were supposed to go. I didn’t necessarily feel scared as a child; it was nerve-racking but very exhilarating. Mom and I had one month to “learn English” before she started her new job and I started school. One summer day, we found a huge jar of coins at the house. So we decided to take a handful of coins and put them in a plastic bag, and off we went to see if we could purchase anything. After walking for what seemed forever, we found a Burger King. I still remember vividly when we walked inside the Burger King and the look on the employees’ faces when we put a bunch of coins on the counter. Neither my mom nor I knew English, so I remember smiling at the employees and hand-signaling that we wanted the number 1 Whopper Combo. We only had enough money for one meal, but it was okay because Mom told me she wasn’t hungry. Not until years later did I realize she was. Once I started school, everything changed. We had moved to our own apartment, and I started third grade. I made friends, started learning English, playing soccer, volleyball, and the viola, and helped my mom learn some English. But I began to feel scared, lonely, sad, and disconnected from my culture and family. My mom started working two jobs, and I barely saw her. She would come home at midnight while I was already sleeping. I would stay home all day on the weekends, hoping she wouldn’t have to go to work. During this time, I grew to become independent at a young age. Even when she was home, I felt I needed to care for her. When we went to restaurants, I ordered for the both of us, buying our apartment and car. I was the one talking and translating. I passed as Mom in multiple phone calls all the time, and even to this day, I still do occasionally. After all these years, my mom has always told me, “My only limit in life is set by myself.” I learned a lot of life experience at an early age. I sacrificed my early childhood to help support my mother and myself. We quickly learned to survive with no job, money, or family. Immersing myself in difficult situations taught me perseverance, sacrifice, and discipline. Through determination, I learned that hard work pays off; with sacrifice, you can get where you want to be, and with discipline, you can change your life for the better.

I started my music journey in 4th grade, playing the viola as part of an orchestra in New York City. In 6th grade, my family and I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I continued to play the viola in middle school. However, before my first year of high school, my family moved again, this time to Gastonia, NC. Unfortunately, no schools in the area offered orchestras, but they did have bands. I decided to try something new and learn to play the saxophone during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the summer of 2022, I auditioned for a full-ride scholarship to Cannon Music Camp at Appalachian State University through the Gaston Music Education Foundation. I was accepted and attended the camp. After attending camp, I felt inspired to start a saxophone quartet at my school. We've played at school concerts, parks, and small coffee shops. Once ready to compete, we tried out for Solo and Ensemble MPA and got a Superior ranking. That following summer, I applied for smaller scholarships to attend Brevard College for their Saxophone Summer Institute for three weeks. Upon my return, I felt a strong need to improve the band program at our school by utilizing the knowledge I had gained at the camps I attended. To achieve this, I decided to start a Brass Quintet with the younger members of the band with the aim of helping them grow and become better musicians. I am teaching them to be self-sufficient and motivated so they can carry on with these ensembles even after I graduate. I aspire to inspire more students to join ensembles, attend music camps, and explore other musical opportunities to develop their skills as individuals, musicians, and leaders. In college, I aim to become a band director and inspire others with the magic of music. My life experiences have helped me become a hardworking and self-driven individual who never takes no for an answer. I moved to the United States from Colombia when I was nine and learned that the only limit in life is myself. I never thought I could learn another language in a different country, fit into a different culture, or even learn to play an instrument. But with passion and persistence, one can achieve many things. My desire to become a band director arose in my junior year when I demonstrated the saxophone basics to rising sixth-graders. Teaching them how to play the saxophone made me realize my love for it. Witnessing their excitement when they made a sound on it, and even their parents' pride in them, encouraged me to continue teaching others. Obtaining this scholarship will benefit me as it will provide me with a more challenging and enriched educational experience. This experience will help me to develop crucial skills such as critical thinking, leadership, and communication, which are essential for a band director. With this preparation, I will excel in my field and positively impact my future students. As a global citizen, I understand the importance of advocating for music education worldwide, and the skills I develop at College will enable me to do so effectively. I am excited to contribute to a more culturally enriched and connected society.