My dad took this photo from the back seat of the plane I flew on my first flight lesson. The 30-minute lesson was a Christmas gift from my grandfather who was a private pilot for many years. He recently had to give up his license due to health concerns but he enjoys watching me fly. My grandfather is the biggest supporter on my path to my private pilot's license. Students aren't usually encouraged to enter aviation because it's expensive or it doesn't seem practical. But there's nothing like the feeling of seeing the world from up so high.

My passion in life is making music that people can relate to. I believe that good music tells a story and allows the listener to connect with the song. Whether it's a melancholy ballad or a joyful tune a song should take the audience on a journey. I started learning the basics of recording and producing my own music because I believe that every creator has something worth sharing. I wrote my first original song "The Color of You" after going through some difficult times in my friendships. The song is all about going through the loss of a friendship. Writing "The Color of You" was a form of therapy for me. I'm still learning to produce and record by myself, but the learning experience is teaching me many valuable lessons. I've learned how to operate Digital Audio Workspaces, orchestrate my own sounds. I've also learned how to take criticism and be my own critic, learning to problem solve and research a topic in-depth will help me in my academic pursuits in the future. One of the reasons why working in a creative field is difficult is because all art is subjective. And because it's impossible to label art as "good" or "bad", the creator is the one who is in complete control. Although you may have to please a client or a boss at the end of the day the artist is the one in the creative cockpit. This freedom that I find in music is overwhelming at times, but also extremely empowering. I hope that more people are able to find something that they can relate to in my music or get the opportunity to experience the freedom that one can find in any creative field. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay and for considering me for this opporotunity.