I must have fallen in love with sound in the womb because I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t mesmerized by it—dinosaur roars, bird calls, giant explosions, classical strings, squeaky brass, and beautiful vocals. All of it fascinates me. I started singing in choir in fourth grade, and I have yet to stop. Music has always been an integral way for me to connect with others and express myself. Singing and smiling with my family or my friends, that's when I am truly my happiest. I am a passionate musician, and my main instrument is my voice, though I also play piano and, of course, the legendary ukulele. Currently, I am employed as a singer at Saint James Episcopal Church, where I am the youngest choral scholar to ever work there. I have thoroughly enjoyed choir at my school, and this year I started a barbershop quartet, served as choir president, and was the only student from my school selected for the state Honors Chorus. This past summer I went back to school for a month to study vocal performance through NC Governor’s School. I am drawn to the technical side of music because of my deep love for sound. In choral singing, I have always been fascinated by how music evokes emotion through its technical elements—phrasing, dynamics, tone, timbre, and more. Audio engineers shape these elements of the listening experience and enhance them through tools like reverb, delay, compression, EQ, and automation. When I mix music, I think of the knobs I turn as shaping the story of a song. I began creating my first song on Logic Pro and fell in love with the process, even though it was challenging. It was my first time using a DAW, and I had no mentorship. I worked through hours of technical difficulties with equipment and software, but I stayed motivated because of the music itself. I was proud of what I accomplished on my own, but I knew I could improve. That desire led me to enroll in an online music production program through Interlochen University. I am beyond excited to continue my music education at UNC Chapel Hill. With how much I improved after taking a month-long online course, I am excited to see what I can learn in person over four years. Having access to professional media production equipment—rather than recording with a microphone in a closet under the stairs—will be a game changer for my music production. My dream is to turn my audio engineering experience into a career in re-recording mixing for film. Balancing dialogue, sound effects, ambience, foley, score, and countless other elements excites me because I want to create entire worlds through sound. When audio and visual storytelling come together, they create one of the most powerful forms of expression, capable of conveying complex ideas and emotions. As I have researched this career and most audio engineering careers I have been discouraged by the small percent of women in the field. While pushing buttons doesn’t seem inherently masculine, only approximately 5% of women are audio engineers. I hope to inspire girls that love sound as much as me to find and mix a place for themselves.