My goal for the future is to become an Entrepreneur in the entertainment management and legal music industry. From a young age I have been an entrepreneur in the entertainment business. Funny enough, I was a child Michael Jackson impersonator who, at the time, had 1000s of followers on YouTube. I used this skill at age 7 to have Michael Jackson show and raise $1000's for the Lymphoma & Leukemia Society. I was recognized by the society, which led me to opportunities, such as being a special guest of Dancing with the Stars. My desire to perform continued as I grew older. I studied guitar and vocals all through Covid. From there, I formed an indie rock group in middle school that gained 100,000's of thousands of streams for our songs. Our band has been fortunate to perform all over the DelMarVa area. Once I started to learn the music business more, I was fortunate to make several professional contacts in the music industry. Professionals from Universal and Sony, along with engineers like Adrian Bushby and Scott Metcalfe at Peabody Institute. Learning the music business allowed me to start a record label at 17. This endeavor is new but successful thus far. It has gained the attention of some accomplished individuals in the music business wanting to invest or collaborate including companies such as Virgin Records. With these relationships I’ve earned internship opportunities with Broke Records and collaborations with companies such as One Wonder. My heart feels that music touches everyone in someway at some of the most crucial times in our lives. You don’t necessarily even have to be able to listen to music to make you feel it. As a person who studied ASL for three years, I have learned the words or the beats of songs can provide emotion alone. I feel that obtaining a college degree will be crucial in guiding me to my continued success. Although I do not have the highest gpa, my drive and the ability to create a successful resume thus far, earned an opportunity to study Music Industry at UCLA. This accomplishment was a life dream but does propose some financial complications, as UCLA tuition is not the most economical for our family. Scholarships will be a crucial part of studying at UCLA. In addition to scholarships, I have obtained a full time job for the summer to save funds to help with the cost of tuition at UCLA. Although my family has financial hardships, they have always taught me to work hard to accomplish my dreams. My parents did not have the opportunity to graduate from college but they have encouraged me to make this a goal, so that I do not face the struggles they have had. Thank you for your time and consideration.

The first time I walked on stage with a guitar in my hands, I had no idea if I belonged there. There were only two of us auditioning that year, and I remember thinking how easy it would be to back out, to tell myself I wasn’t ready. But I played anyway. That moment ended up changing everything. Music started as something personal. I would sit in my room for hours learning songs, writing my own, and trying to figure out how artists turned simple ideas into something that made people feel something. It was never about being the best. It was about chasing that feeling. Over time, though, it stopped being something I did alone. By my sophomore year, the same audition that once had two guitarists had ten. What stuck with me even more was what happened outside of auditions. Younger students started coming up to me, asking how to improve, telling me they wanted to try out after watching me perform. I never set out to be someone people looked up to, but music naturally put me in that position. It showed me that doing something you care about can quietly give others permission to do the same. At the same time, I began taking music beyond school. I started releasing my own songs and quickly realized that creating music was only one part of the process. There was an entire world behind it involving promotion, strategy, and understanding how artists actually grow. That curiosity led me to start Basement Tape Records, a small independent label where I could help other artists develop while continuing to learn myself. What began as an attempt to promote my own music turned into something much bigger. I was managing releases, building marketing plans, and connecting with artists across the country. Music also forced me to grow in ways I didn’t expect. Early in high school, I did not always take academics as seriously as I should have. But once I saw that real opportunities could come from what I was building, I realized I needed to match that ambition in every part of my life. Music gave me a reason to become more disciplined, more focused, and more intentional with my time. More than anything, music gave me direction. It taught me how to take risks, how to lead, and how to build something from nothing. Whether I was stepping on stage for the first time or helping another artist release their first song, each experience reinforced the same idea. This is not just something I enjoy. It is what I want to pursue. Looking back, music did not just shape my high school experience. It gave me a sense of purpose and a path forward that I would not have found otherwise.