Music has made such a positive impact on my life that I take any chance I get to make an impact on my greater community, whether it be with my high school a capella group in my hometown, across the world with a group of fellow Michigan choir students, or on my own as a solo musician. Ever since I joined choir in 7th grade, I knew it was my dream to become an East Grand Rapids Madrigal, the most selective and advanced ensemble in high school. Known for caroling around town during the holidays in traditional Edwardian garb and singing the National anthem at sports matches, the Madrigals are an integral part of East tradition. In my junior year my dream came true; I was a Madrigal at last. Each Christmas season we sing for luncheons, nursing homes, church groups, and a physical therapy rehab facility. Outside of spreading the holiday spirit, we are asked to share our talent with the community in many ways. This past fall we had the privilege of singing in Ukrainian for the U.S ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, an alumna of our school who spoke on her experience as a diplomat in a war-torn country. Being able to honor her through our performance was just one of many instances that has strengthened my passion for making music that connects people. In the summer of 2024, I was selected to travel with choir students from all over Michigan on a Michigan Musicians Abroad trip to sing in 6 different European countries. It was daunting to travel across the world with people I had only known since the few rehearsals before the trip. However, this experience allowed me to share my love of performing with a new group of peers who would quickly become my close friends, and a whole new audience. In the MMA choir, I was proud to represent my country, and it was rewarding to bring a small piece of American culture to our host cities, as well as explore and admire theirs. In this way I learned that one of the coolest things about music is that you don’t have to be able to speak the same language to communicate with your audience. Had it not been for my dedication to choral music, I would have never been able to travel the world doing the thing I love most with people who shared the same enthusiasm. Back at home, I have found yet another new way to share my art with others, with a greater reach than I can even wrap my head around. As a solo vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist, I have played over 30 gigs at local music venues, farmers markets, restaurants, and weddings. You might think after all this I would want to go home and take a break, but on any given school night you will probably find me singing to TikTok and Instagram. Social media provides a unique outlet for personal connection and expression. Taking requests, replying to comments, and receiving text messages about how somebody deeply relates to a song that I wrote, motivates me to continue making and sharing art that is meaningful and honest. As someone who has been blessed with many opportunities to create and enjoy music, I find it endlessly fulfilling to be able to give the same gift to other people. I intend to commit myself to sharing this wonderful gift for the rest of my life, starting with dedicating the next 4 years to studying Music Business at Belmont University.

My friends like to joke that I'm "Miss America", not because I have pageant potential, but because I almost exclusively wear the colors red, white, and blue. Whether its blue or red pairs of scuffed Converse or cowboy boots with bright teal detailing, Levi jean shorts with a rhinestone-studded brown leather belt, or tight white tank tops, my look resembles the stars and stripes nearly every day of the week. It might not seem like anything outrageous, but rhinestone-studded anything turns heads in my little suburban town. Though my uniform is unintentionally patriotic, as soon as I saw the the title of the opening track "all-american b*tch" I knew the song, the whole GUTS album in fact, was for me. "I don't get angry when I'm pissed, I'm the eternal optimist, I scream inside to deal with it" was the lyric that lodged itself in my mind, a textbook example of feeling like someone had read your diary and wrote a song using it. This lyric lands right before the height of the track, where Rodrigo breaks out of the melody into screams that she seemed to be holding back the whole song. This lyric stood out to me because as a teenage girl I’ve always felt an expectation, both overt and unspoken, to be “pleasant”, to hold my emotions in, and hold my tongue. Growing up, I have felt an increasing pressure to always look my best, to be the pure and innocent “girl-next-door”, to do what I am told. Essentially, to be what people want to see. This standard isn’t exclusive to me either, it is unfortunately a weight that many, if not most young women have on their shoulders. But it's an impossible standard to uphold, because as Jane Austen says in her novel Little Women, “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty.” This expectation for girls to be seen and not heard is not only outdated, but dangerous for our mental health. Time and time again I have found myself repressing my feelings until I reach my absolute breaking point, often ending in an outburst that could have been avoided. Rodrigo perfectly captures this situation both musically and lyrically in “all-american b*tch”, and each time I listen to it I feel a sense of cathartic release. This song teaches me to dig deep and to express myself fully, in a way that is both healthy and creative. As a songwriter myself, I find it therapeutic to express my frustration through verse, just as Rodrigo does. Her work has inspired me to continue to not write music that is authentic to who I am, but to speak up for myself and know that I am not destined to be a wallflower, rather a force of nature to be reckoned with. Rodrigo’s honesty is refreshing, providing a perspective that many girls relate to, but might not have the courage to say themselves, precisely because they “scream inside to deal with it”. Olivia Rodrigo’s song captures the experience of being a young woman in a world that expects effortless perfection, lending her powerful vocals to represent those who are voiceless. Through my own music, I aspire to encourage others as Rodrigo has encouraged me, to find positive outlets for expression and to be absolutely, fearlessly authentic. Sometimes all it is, all it takes, is a rhinestone-studded belt in your hometown.