In May, I wrote a song called "Real." The song's speaker is a character from "The Great Gatsby," named Daisy Buchanan. The song depicts her confusion about whether she still loves a man she used to know. I loved getting to take a story from a beautiful novel and turning it into a song. It was initially an English project that required me to write a song and perform it, but I wanted to take it a step further and produce my song on Pro Tools. I am so grateful for the friends that encouraged me to go above and beyond. As a result of hard work and encouragement, I achieved something of which I am proud.

My dad is my everything because he builds me with encouragement, empowering me to grow into the musician I aspire to be. Music has always been a part of my life, but my dad's motivation acts as my drive to achieve musical excellence. For instance, I grew up learning violin in school and later learned guitar by self-teaching. Because of the potential that he saw in me, my dad encouraged me to teach myself piano. Anyone who has learned the instrument knows it is not easy when beginning and that practice is required for significant improvement. While learning piano, constant setbacks brought me to the end of myself. Thankfully, my dad picked me up when I could not pick myself up. He told me that he knew I could do anything. Although his words were simple, they made a world of difference in my success. My dad's love pushes me to reach my full potential. To illustrate, one summer, I grew complacent with my musical achievement. My complacency caused me to spend less time writing music and more time playing video games. I was reluctant to change my attitude because I didn't see anything wrong with my choice to stop improving my skills. Eventually, I realized that my dad was my biggest fan. When my perception changed, I decided to branch into music production, something wholly new and unfamiliar. The first song I ever produced was based on a character from "The Great Gatsby," Daisy Buchanan. My dad was so surprised when I played him the song I wrote. He couldn't have been more proud. Throughout my entire musical career, no one has produced such growth in me like my father. His faith in me enabled me to overcome every obstacle. Whether it was a loss, failure, or an accomplishment, he stuck by me as my confidant. Because my dad believes I can do anything, I know I will grow to be an outstanding musician as long as I continue to improve myself.