Being an intellectual creative in a capitalist society can be particularly disadvantageous, but I am channeling it as my personal superpower. Participating in extracurriculars throughout middle and high school was a great highlight of my secondary education. I actively participated in gymnastics, graphic design, video editing, color guard, competitive cheer leading, track and field, marching band, and many more activities in and outside the classroom. My interest in the arts and athletics was infinite, and I craved to excel in as many as possible. My first endeavor in performing arts was Concert Band during sixth grade, and I developed a new love for music. Practicing playing clarinet for hours at a time was addictive, and I thrived in a musically competitive setting. Winning first place in a Solo and Ensemble Competition only spurred my passion. The drive to continue playing clarinet propelled me through high school, and I finished my senior year as first chair. Participating in honor band, marching band, and Orchestra for the past seven school years evoked a deep connection with music. Continuing this path was self-evident, and I applied to the music department of the university I am currently attending. Discussions of my acceptance into my degree program with my family were both satisfying and incredibly troubling. Many of my family members were concerned with the bleak prospects of pursuing music as a career. The financial aspect of earning a bachelor's degree in Music Performance was far riskier than potentially earning a bachelor’s degree in a STEM-related field. My father and I had extensive discussions about my decision to major in music that were often thought-provoking and emotionally exhausting. I was torn between selecting another career path I had no interest in over a major I was immensely passionate about that I thoroughly enjoyed and excelled in. Finalizing my Music Performance major was distressing, and my excitement dwindled. By the beginning of my first semester, I was anxious and fearful I was not utilizing my financial aid properly by selecting a career path in the arts. I decided to potentially switch my major after the conclusion of my first classes that semester. Participating in my music courses that semester reminded me of why I chose to pursue clarinet initially, and I began to enjoy being a member of the music department. My anxiety was forgotten once I started practicing and participating in performances. That semester, I earned a 4.0 GPA and placed on the Dean's List. Now, beginning my second semester of classes, I remain a Music Performance major and plan to earn a master’s degree in the distant future. Though the chances of success in music are limited, they will be far more limited in the future if I do not work toward developing myself as a musician. Now, playing in college, my passion for music has only blossomed, and I crave the need to do it professionally. Following the completion of a master’s degree in Music Performance, I will begin auditioning for orchestral positions globally. Success is dependent on individual circumstances, and I will put my best effort into preparing for my future of auditioning for professional orchestras. With this path, I plan to be a professional clarinet player in a nationally regarded orchestra. The notion of being able to continue music as an adult is thrilling and is ultimately driving me to succeed as I continue discovering this art. Success in performing arts is only impossible for those who do not attempt it.

The impact of the United States Army will forever be etched into my family’s legacy. On both my mother’s and father’s side of the family, enlistment has spanned across my family for over five generations. In times of disagreement or turmoil, my family has found common ground in uniting through conversations of the military. Deployment, rank promotion, and moving orders are all common topics in discussion when the experience of solidarity needs to be rekindled. The unspoken and often distressing sacrifices made by every party in my family generally go unrecognized, but they are not without either consequence or occasional accolade. As my father rapidly approaches his retirement from twenty years of active duty service, my family continues to navigate the hurdles and unforeseen challenges brought upon us due to my father’s active enlistment. Notification of my father’s first deployment was nothing short of traumatizing for both my parents. With both of my parents being military children themselves, they were expectant of what my father’s deployment would entail. My younger sister was hardly a month old when my father was flown to Afghanistan for the first time. As we lived away from family while stationed in Fort Polk, Louisiana, my mother was temporarily rendered a single mother to a young toddler and infant for a partial duration of my father’s year-long deployment. Still, well within the process of healing physically and psychologically from childbirth, my mother initially struggled greatly with parenthood with my father overseas. It was not until my Aunt moved in with us my mother truly had the opportunity to continue healing and properly raise her two young children. My relationship with my father was reduced to infrequent Skype phone calls that would occasionally be cut short. The fatigue and anguish inflicted by war were evident on my father’s face, and the mere sight of his state was disturbing. As a young child myself, this experience was isolating and greatly anxiety-inducing. The dangers of war plagued my mind, and I struggled with attending school daily and engaging with my peers. Further, my father was unable to be present for my sixth birthday and my parent’s wedding anniversary. We were stripped of various family experiences throughout his deployment. My sorrow was put to rest upon the return of my father later that year. The immediate relief my family felt when my father returned was immeasurable. Being reunited as a family after a taxing year was highly gratifying. He was deployed once more while we resided at this duty station before his return six months later. Having moved five times since my father’s last deployment until my high school graduation in 2023 was both thrilling and tumultuous. My family and I were able to explore a multitude of cultures while traveling the world with my active duty father. By attending eight separate schools, I developed lifelong friendships with others along the way all while making cherished memories with my family. Regrettably, as a result of moving every two or three years, my family has equally had to turn down academic and professional opportunities. My mother has had to decline numerous managerial positions while I turned down the offer to participate in a world-class performing ensemble. The tension created by continuous lost opportunities was palpable and was a great contributor to my parent’s eventual separation. Now, living in three separate households across the East Coast, our family dynamic is forever transformed. Despite living apart today, we continue to bond over our shared memories we have of being a military family together.

The presence of domestic violence in my life as an infant ultimately changed the trajectory of my upbringing and adult years dramatically. The living circumstances while residing with my biological father dictated my mother’s decision to move overseas. My father’s abrasive attitude towards others, and oftentimes aggressive nature, posed a psychological and physical threat to my mother and I. To provide a nurturing environment for her newborn, my mother decided living with my father would not be a sustainable or productive use of the little resources she had. When my father was particularly violent with my mother and nearly severely injured me just months after my birth, my mother and I flew back to Germany the following day to live with my grandmother. We continued to reside with my grandmother until my mother could provide for us without government and family assistance. Being separated from the dangerous environment of my biological father’s house significantly improved the quality of our lives and allowed my mother to raise me with the support of her family and friends. We were afforded the opportunity to rebuild the foundation of our lives in Germany with the aid of loved ones. Prior to me approaching my first year of school, my mother began cultivating a relationship with my current stepfather. He was a stark comparison to my biological father, who was anything but a role model deserving of respect. My stepfather immediately stepped in as a loving partner and a father figure. Soon enough, I began regarding him as my father rather than by formalities. In no time at all, my mother and stepfather were entering their marriage with a healthy and strong relationship. Following their marriage, we moved back to the United States under my stepfather's military orders with a prospective future. As a direct result of my mother and stepfather’s relationship, I had the opportunity to mature in a loving and supportive family. I was able to live a sheltered childhood in comparison to what could have been had my mother never left her relationship with my biological father. Though still navigating the healing process of the trauma inflicted upon her, my mother continuously made sacrificial decisions to ensure my growth and well-being. Observing the lasting impact domestic violence can have on individuals through my mother allowed me to develop a further understanding of safe spaces at a young age. Being deprived of safe spaces in society can oftentimes cause individuals to cultivate feelings of isolation and vulnerability, especially as an African American woman. Safe spaces created for women who have experienced domestic violence can already be difficult to discover, let alone for women of color. Prejudice against African American women still runs rampant in contemporary settings, and finding spaces that welcome women who are African American can be challenging. With a degree in Human Resources, I am driven by my mother’s experience to construct a local non-profit organization designated for African American women that have been victims of domestic violence. Accessibility to affordable resources and support is a key component of my objective. Healing is not a linear progression, and it is crucial to address it with proper care and necessary resources. Working in human resources would allow me to directly address instances of domestic violence and begin building a community for African American women in search of support in this area. I anticipate the day African American women can feel entirely comfortable expressing their concerns with domestic violence, and I fully intend to take productive and constructive steps toward this goal.

Finding a craft to pursue as a military child has been anything but a linear journey. While traveling the country alongside my active-duty father and family, I have had the opportunity to participate in a multitude of extracurriculars. I endeavored in soccer, cheerleading, dance, gymnastics, and even swimming throughout my childhood. Despite being passionate about each activity I have participated in, my family and I have been conflicted with having the accessibility to participate in them. As a result of moving every two to three years, finding sports and activities to enroll in outside of school has been a great challenge. Typically, most of the extracurriculars I desired to participate in were not offered by the school I attended nor were they offered within a reasonable distance from where we resided. When this was not the case, they would simply be too expensive to consider participating in. I struggled greatly with committing to one activity and developing my skills in that field. I was labeled a “jack of all trades” by friends and family, but I failed to master any sport or activity I was in. In intermediate school, I had resolved to take a break from my search for an activity to participate in. Being in a new school again after moving during fifth grade, I enrolled in standard courses provided by my counselor. Inevitably, I was enrolled in my core classes in addition to a beginner art class. Being a creative person, I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to express myself through the crafts we created during art class. On the other hand, I did not enjoy my teacher in this specific course or the frigid temperatures of the classroom. For the next school year, I opted out of my art class immediately and signed up for beginner band instead. At the time, I did not have a preference for which classes I wanted to enroll in as long as I was not in art class again. Unexpectedly, I greatly excelled at playing clarinet in band and played it for the entirety of the school year. That same year, I had won my first award through a solo and ensemble competition and landed myself a spot in one of the advanced bands in the junior high I intended on attending the next year. My plans for band class next year were halted once my family was notified we would be moving overseas. I realized I would likely have to give up playing clarinet if my new school did not offer an instrumental class. The school I was enrolled in after moving overseas too offered band classes, and I continued to play clarinet that year and throughout high school. Three moves later, I am continuing my music journey in college participating in a variety of ensembles. Now pursuing a bachelor's degree in Clarinet Performance after being a musician for seven years, I successfully found a passion I could consistently participate in no matter where my family is stationed. While applying to colleges, I had the opportunity to reflect on how much I loved playing new music and ultimately decided to continue it through college. Now playing in college, my passion for music has only blossomed and I crave the need to do it professionally. Following the completion of my bachelor’s degree, I fully intend to earn a master’s degree in Clarinet Performance and begin auditioning for professional orchestral positions. The notion of being able to continue music as an adult is thrilling and is ultimately driving me to succeed as I continue discovering this art.