Hello! My name is MaKayla Gutierrez, and I attended North Forney High School in Forney, Texas. I am 18 years old currently, but I turn 19 in October of this year. I am an afro-latina that can speak English and understand Spanish fluently. I am an incoming senior now, and I have been attending North Forney for 4 years now, and it has been the most amazing 4 years of my life, because high school has taught me what kind of person I am. Because of my high gpa, I was invited to join national honors society since my sophomore year and have been doing about 13-28 hours of community service. I was and currently a drum major for my high school band and I was in the varsity band for middle school and high school years. For about the majority of my time living in Forney, I have maintained AB honor rolls every year and taken college and advanced classes since freshman year. Growing up, the only main struggle I've had was family. Family membering either pass away or turn my accomplishments into something negative. All kinds of unimaginable things during my life in school. For years, my separated parents and family have struggled financially, especially during and after the pandemic. However despite these negative impacts, I have still continued to strive and do my best with the support team I have now. I am grateful to have shared my story and I hope I can continue to push through any challenges coming my way even once I graduate high school. I want to major in music education and minor in music performance as well as music teaching/education. My goal after high school is to attend a great college, like TCU or UNT, and continue to strive to make my weaknesses strengths and turn my strengths into even better strengths. My main dream, however, is to inspire young musicians to continue their love for music for the rest of their lives. To continue to use music as a source of peace and home when they feel like they do not feel comfortable or need something to make them feel at gome again. Music has always been a part of my story, and with the career ive chosen for myself, I know that one day, I will make a huge impact on the next generation of kids to come and be happy with all of the work i’ve put in all throughout high school and college.

Hello! My name is MaKayla Gutierrez, and I attended North Forney High School in Forney, Texas. I am 18 years old currently, but I turn 19 in October of this year. I am an afro-latina that can speak English and understand Spanish fluently. I am an incoming senior now, and I have been attending North Forney for 4 years now, and it has been the most amazing 4 years of my life, because high school has taught me what kind of person I am. Because of my high gpa, I was invited to join national honors society since my sophomore year and have been doing about 13-28 hours of community service. I was and currently a drum major for my high school band and I was in the varsity band for middle school and high school years. For about the majority of my time living in Forney, I have maintained AB honor rolls every year and taken college and advanced classes since freshman year. Growing up, the only main struggle I've had was family. Family membering either pass away or turn my accomplishments into something negative. All kinds of unimaginable things during my life in school. For years, my separated parents and family have struggled financially, especially during and after the pandemic. However despite these negative impacts, I have still continued to strive and do my best with the support team I have now. I am grateful to have shared my story and I hope I can continue to push through any challenges coming my way even once I graduate high school. I want to major in music education and minor in music performance as well as music teaching/education. My goal after high school is to attend a great college, like TCU or UNT, and continue to strive to make my weaknesses strengths and turn my strengths into even better strengths. My main dream, however, is to inspire young musicians to continue their love for music for the rest of their lives. To continue to use music as a source of peace and home when they feel like they do not feel comfortable or need something to make them feel at gome again. Music has always been a part of my story, and with the career ive chosen for myself, I know that one day, I will make a huge impact on the next generation of kids to come and be happy with all of the work i’ve put in all throughout high school and college.

Growing up, I have always struggled with being myself, or finding my true identity. Ever since I could remember, I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up. Kids around me wanted to be doctors, lawyers, scientists, engineers, and even some wanted to work in a fast food business. Myself, on the other hand, had no clue what I wanted to do. I was lost, but it was not until my first year in middle school. Not a lot of extracurricular activities peak my interest. I joined the school’s basketball team. I did not enjoy it. I joined the school’s track team. I loved it a lot, but it ended short due to covid, so my love for it died off quickly and I soon lost my skills. However, there was one group I saw on that made my intuition sky rocket, band. I joined the school’s concert band and i was able to try out different instruments, such as the flute, trumpet, and percussion. Once I was done trying out different instruments, one of the administrators looked at me and said “You have the fingers and skills for a clarinet”. From that moment on, I fell in love with the clarinet more and more. So much so that towards the end of the year, all students were required to audition for next year’s group if they wanted to continue band. I studied all of my scales, perfected my solo, and got rid of as much anxiety as I could. Audition day came. I was shaking in fear and worry thinking “What if I screw up my audition? What if I make a terrible mistake and I will not even make a band?”. As worried as I was, my name was called to go up next. I sat down in a tiny practice room. It was cold and silent, almost like an abandoned room nobody has been in in years. I took a deep breath, smiled, and played my scales and solo to the best of my abilities. One of my band director looked at me, congratulated me, smiled, and said “You play beautifully. Please keep continuing to practice more over the summer”. I walked out feeling confident and also relieved that I was all over. Weeks go by and the results come out. Not only did I make a band, but I made the highest and the most competitive band, honors band. Ever since that achievement, I went on to continue to do band in high school and still stayed in honors/varsity band. I even went to audition for drum major for my high school’s marching band and was drum major for 2 years. Because of one audition, I’ve finally had the confidence to say what I want to be when I grow up and have a future I’m set on for the rest of my life. I want to be a performer, a musician.

A collaborative experience is important, in any fine arts club in my opinion. Not only is it difficult to maintain your own instruments, or figure out what octave to sing, doing what you love best with other people around you is what truly makes the music industry an experience worth having. In my field, I have had to use collaboration skills to explore the love and life of music out of my shell and really getting used to having other people work with me. In my high school’s marching band program, I was drum major for 2 years, junior and senior year. One of the main things that pulled me away from even trying out was the fact that I, at the time, was not fully comfortable stepping out of my shell and becoming a leader for once. When I first learned I had to step up and lead, I was more than unprepared. However, the more I was comfortable teaching freshmen how to march, the more I became comfortable with my own teachings and thoughts into how I can reach futher away from what I am used to. The more I had all eyes on me, the more nerves shook away from me. The more I practiced my conducting with my drum major peers, the more I was able to learn and experience teachings from others. Most importantly, the more I was able to have other people around to help me even if I was confused about the smallest things, the more confident I became in my ability to learn, teach, and lead others into success. Being in an collaborative organization is important. Not to just have a skill, but having these types of bonds and connections with other people truly helps one to understand how important it is to have others around you. Whether its a question, weaknesses, strengths, curiosity, or even as small as fear, having others around you to help guide you out of your shell is a truly wonderful and rewarding feeling almost. Being able to go from step one to step 100 and working as a team is something that not a lot of people, I feel, truly understand into they are in that position themselves. Now that I am a graduate, I look back and I thank all of the teachers and peers that believed in me and helped me to figure out the real me, all because of teammwork and collaboration.