Ever since I was little, my dream has been to become a singer. I always envisioned myself singing to a sold-out arena and having the crowd sing my songs back to me. On my journey to becoming an accomplished singer, I want to learn what genres best suit me musically and develop my personal sound. In doing this, I’d acquire audio and music production skills. Having the ability to compose music gives me creative freedom and control over my music. I also look forward to collaborating with new and established artists and producers, not only exposing me to new ideas but challenging my creativity through composing. I also want to learn to protect my craft and brand as I strive to become a singer. The music industry seems to have simple strategies to scam fresh new artists easily. Therefore, I desire to have a strong understanding of music business practices. Learning behind the scenes of the industry, understanding new artists’ contracts, and the rights and wrongs of the industry. This will help me become financially secure and protect my brand as an artist. When making my music, I write about the feelings that I am experiencing as my own form of self-therapy. With this, I hope to write songs that people can relate to and make them not feel alone. I want my music to make a connection for someone; a song someone can turn on when they are feeling down and need comfort. They are able to understand and feel the passion that I put into my music and began to appreciate it. There are amazing musicians and artists that inspire me everyday. I hope to be that same inspiration, musically, for others. I would like my music to let a person feel as though they are valuable and deserving of respect, love, and care. Performing arts’ main objective is to provide a sense of community. It unites people. To be a voice in the world when someone is not able to. It is also a way to give back to the community. I come from a school where the performing arts are very underfunded and not appreciated. Therefore, the arts have been dying and a lot of teachers have been cut and/or fired. Watching this over the past 5 years has been a struggle. So, I promised myself if I reached my dream, I would donate money to my high school, funding each discipline for new technology, equipment, and classroom decoration. I imagine myself facilitating the love of the arts throughout the immediate community through benefit concerts as well as creating an organization to improve overall growth of local performing arts students. It doesn’t have to only be my high school; it should be performing art schools all over that are underfunded and not taken care of. I would like to do whatever I can to provide a space for kids and teens to express themselves creatively and not feel as though they are restricted to doing so.

Music has always been a huge part of my life ever since I was young. Both parents come from musical backgrounds, filling our house with music across all art modalities. My love of music started with dancing. While learning different dance genres, feeling the rhythm and tempo became my first lesson in developing my musicality. As I got older, my love for music developed and spread into more musical structures such as singing, songwriting, and guitar. Music has taken over my life and is something I can depend on despite whatever emotion. It’s something that I cannot live without. I cannot go a day or even a single moment without listening to music, singing, or dancing to a song. It is when my heart gets so full of love, it overflows, and I feel so big. Music can melt all of my problems and allow the rest of the world to fade away. Singing is one of the few things I feel confident in and truly feel like I’m presenting my best self. Songwriting has become another way for me to express my feelings. It is my own personal journal shared with the world. Writing has become a therapeutic process for me, being given a space to be as creative and free as I can be. It is now one of my deepest passions. When making my music, I write about the feelings that I am experiencing as my own form of self-therapy. It is my way of letting go and moving on. With this, I hope to write songs that people can relate to and make them not feel alone. I want my music to make a connection for someone; a song someone can turn on when they are feeling down and need comfort. They can understand and feel the passion that I put into my music and begin to appreciate it. There are amazing musicians and artists that inspire me every day. I hope to be that same inspiration, musically, for others. I would like my music to let a person feel as though they are valuable and deserving of respect, love, and care. All of this creates a community among them. We all go through similar experiences and relate to that connection they make when listening to either my music or something similar. Through this, we’ll be able to appreciate each other’s backgrounds, skills, and cultures. Because of that, this will impact the community around me. I would also like to give back to the community that nurtured my love for music initially. Back home, the arts programs are declining due to being underfunded by the county and the surrounding community is not aware we exist. How I would give back is to donate money to my high school, Dekalb School of the Arts, funding each discipline for new technology, equipment, and classroom decor. I imagine myself facilitating the love of the arts throughout the immediate community through benefit concerts as well as creating an organization to improve overall growth of local performing arts students. A way to reach these goals is to build a strong team that has the same immediate goals. We’d work marketing within social media, performing music at different venues and acquiring jobs that relate to the music industry.

I grew up in a musical household, my parents were both singers. I started dancing at the age of 2 and originally wanted to be a ballerina. However, by 7 years old, I started writing random songs and from then on, I was dead set on being a singer and performer. I have never strayed away from this dream. I always envisioned myself singing to a sold-out arena and having the crowd sing my songs back to me. Throughout middle and high school, I sang in school choirs and continued dancing. I’m trained in all genres of dance but my favorite is tap dance. By my senior year, I was in two dance companies, co-dance captain in one of them. I joined my high school’s show choir and was made dance captain and head choreographer. I was even given the opportunity to choreograph for them after graduation. I was involved in several choral organizations but mostly Atlanta Young Singers. This is where I started to improve my voice, started learning about music theory, and was given my first solo opportunity. This kickstarted a lot of self-confidence in my singing ability. My current studies at Columbia College Chicago, I believe, will put me on the right track to achieve my music aspirations. I'm currently enrolled in contemporary vocal music with an emphasis on music production, business, and songwriting. As a sophomore with a 3.9 GPA, I have already learned a great deal about the technical and creative aspects of music. I'm beginning to discover what genres best suit me musically and complement my voice. As I continue to study, I’d also acquire audio and music production skills. I want to learn to protect my craft and brand as I strive to become a stronger singer. In 10 years, I want my platform to inspire and uplift others, especially those who come from underrepresented communities. I desire to have a strong understanding of music business practices. I believe that learning behind the scenes of the industry, understanding new artists’ contracts, and the rights and wrongs of the industry is highly necessary. This will not only help me become financially secure but also protect my brand as an artist. I envision, throughout my college career experimenting with different genres of music while performing and collaborating with other singers and musicians. I believe this builds tremendous creative relationships and connections overtime that will provide amazing job opportunities in the future. I would also like to give back to the community that nurtured my love for music initially. Back home, the arts programs are declining due to being underfunded by the county and the surrounding community is not aware we exist. How I would give back is to donate money to my high school, Dekalb School of the Arts, funding each discipline for new technology, equipment, and classroom decor. I imagine myself facilitating the love of the arts throughout the immediate community through benefit concerts as well as creating an organization to improve overall growth of local performing arts students. A way to reach these goals is to build a strong team that has the same immediate goals. We’d work marketing within social media, performing music at different venues and acquiring jobs that relate to the music industry.

Music has always been a huge part of my life ever since I was young. Ever since I was a young girl, I dreamed of singing and dancing on a big stage in front of thousands. I've sung in many school choirs and shows, as well as church and community choirs throughout my elementary and high school years. My parents also come from musical backgrounds which filled our house with music all across art modalities. As I grew up in Atlanta, Music became something that I could not live without. My career aspirations are strongly rooted in my passion for singing and storytelling. Singing is one of the few things I feel confident in while presenting my best self. Songwriting has also become another way to express my feelings and is a journal I share with the world. In a short time, Laufey, the Icelandic singer and musician, has become one of my favorite artists. This is due to her soothing voice, and her relatability to her songwriting. She has opened my heart and mind to Jazz which has inspired the way I currently write my songs. When making my music, I write about the feelings that I am experiencing as my form of self-therapy. It is my way of letting go and moving on. With this, I want to write songs that people can relate to and make them not feel alone. I want my music to make a connection for someone; a song someone can turn on when they are feeling down and need comfort. They can understand and feel the passion that I put into my music and appreciate it. Therefore, my current studies at Columbia College Chicago will put me on the track to achieve my music aspirations. I'm currently enrolled in contemporary vocal music with an emphasis on music production, business, and songwriting. As a rising sophomore with a 3.9 GPA, I have already learned a great deal about the technical and creative aspects of music. I'm beginning to discover what genres best suit me musically and complement my voice. As I continue to study, I’d also acquire audio and music production skills. I want to learn to protect my craft and brand as I strive to become a singer. I want my platform to inspire and uplift others, especially those who come from underrepresented communities. I desire to have a strong understanding of music business practices. Learning behind the scenes of the industry, understanding new artists’ contracts, and the rights and wrongs of the industry. This will not only help me become financially secure but also protect my brand as an artist. In conclusion, I see myself thriving as a singer-songwririter in years to come. Columbia College Chicago is known to develop young artists as myself toward the goals I described above. Attending this college has allowed me to thrive artisiticly and creatively in ways I did not imagine. It is the first big step I take toward achieving my goals.

Music has always been a huge part of my life ever since I was young. Both parents come from musical backgrounds which filled our house with music all across art modalities. My love of music started with dancing. While learning different genres of dance, feeling the rhythm and tempo became my first lesson in developing my musicality. As I got older, my love for music developed and spread into more musical structures such as singing, songwriting, and guitar. Growing up, I took on a lot of extracurricular activities that steered me toward my main dream of being a singer/performer. During high school, I was in two dance companies, co-dance captain for one of them. I was also in my school's show choir for 3 years and was dance captain and choreographer. Throughout middle and high school, I sang in school choirs and joined a choral organization, Atlanta Young Singers, which improved my voice and sparked confidence in my vocal ability. Music has taken over my life and is something I can depend on despite whatever emotion. It’s something that I cannot live without. I cannot go a day or even a single moment without listening to music, singing or dancing to a song. It is when my heart gets so full of love, it overflows and I feel so big. Music can melt all of my problems and allows the rest of the world to fade away. Singing is one of the few things I feel confident in and truly feel like I’m presenting my best self. Songwriting has become another way for me to express my feelings. It is my own personal journal shared with the world. Writing has become a therapeutic process for me; being given a space to be as creative and free as I can be. It is now one of my deepest passions. When making my music, I write about the feelings that I am experiencing as my own form of self-therapy. It is my way of letting go and moving on. With this, I hope to write songs that people can relate to and make them not feel alone. I want my music to make a connection for someone; a song someone can turn on when they are feeling down and need comfort. They are able to understand and feel the passion that I put into my music and began to appreciate it. There are amazing musicians and artists that inspire me everyday. I hope to be that same inspiration, musically, for others. I would like my music to let a person feel as though they are valuable and deserving of respect, love, and care. All of this creates a community among them. We all go through similar experiences and relate to that connection they make when listening to either my music or something similar. Through this, we’ll be able to appreciate each other’s backgrounds, skills, and cultures.

Music has taken over my life and is something I can depend on despite my emotions. It’s something that I cannot live without. I cannot go a day or even a single moment without listening to music, singing, or dancing to a song. It is when my heart gets so full of love, it overflows and I feel so big. Music can melt all of my problems and allow the rest of the world to fade away. Singing is one of the few things I feel confident in and truly feel like I’m presenting my best self. Songwriting has become another way for me to express my feelings. It is my personal journal shared with the world. Writing has become a therapeutic process for me; being given a space to be as creative and free as I can be. It is now one of my deepest passions. When making my music, I write about the feelings that I am experiencing as my form of self-therapy. It is my way of letting go and moving on. With this, I hope to write songs that people can relate to and make them not feel alone. I want my music to make a connection for someone; a song someone can turn on when they are feeling down and need comfort. They can understand and feel the passion that I put into my music and begin to appreciate it. There are amazing musicians and artists that inspire me every day. I hope to be that same inspiration, musically, for others. I would like my music to let a person feel as though they are valuable and deserving of respect, love, and care. All of this creates a community among them. We all go through similar experiences and relate to that connection they make when listening to either my music or something similar. Through this, we’ll be able to appreciate each other’s backgrounds, skills, and cultures. Because of that, this will impact the community around me. My career goal is to become a singer/songwriter in the music industry. My ultimate dream has always been to sit on a stage and stare into a crowd of thousands of people. The audience would jump, dance, and sing along to the songs I wrote back to me. This dream has always excited me ever since I was little. On my journey to becoming an accomplished singer, I want to learn what genres best suit me musically and develop my personal sound. This is what brought my interest into the BMus program at Columbia. I believe the BMus program will help me acquire audio and music production skills which gives me the ability to compose music with creative freedom and control over my music. Columbia allows me to expand upon my composing preferences and gives me room to grow and evolve as an artist. Being a visionary thinker, a million ideas are created in my head which gives me the chance to realize my dream. I can expand personal songwriting preferences and space to evolve as an artist. It also allows me to collaborate and work with other creative students which will help me with established artists and producers later on. In the future, I dream to procure creative moments with other artists and entrust a harmonic environment; where we are able to brainstorm without judgment while having fun at the same time; also providing more experience on my resume.

My favorite K-pop group is Red Velvet. I started liking this group around 2016 during the "Dumb Dumb" comeback but became a huge fan of them in 2018 during "RBB." One thing I really admire about Red Velvet is their versatility. No comeback of theirs is ever the same. We have their "Red" side, their "Velvet" side, or a mixture of both. It's always a different concept, a different sound, and a different look. Their concept ideas are always original; Red Velvet never follows any ongoing trends with other K-pop groups. They experiment with different genres of music such as R&B, techno, ballads, or pure pop music. To me, it shows that Red Velvet is unafraid to take huge risks. I started to listen to more of their b-sides during COVID-19 and there would be days where I would have their music on repeat. During such an intense time, Red Velvet's music became such a comfort for me. I would be either dancing to "Hit the Drum", grooving to "Kingdom Come" or "Underwater", or crying my eyes out to "Ladies' Night" or "One of These Nights". So now whenever I need to calm down from any stress in my life, I always turn on Red Velvet. Another thing that became a comfort was their variety show, Level Up. Seeing them travel the world and have fun is very comforting to watch. I also admire how they love each other. In the show, you can see how much they are bonded and treat each other like sisters or family. Most of my friends know about my love for this group; with every comeback, they always ask me if I like it or not. Red Velvet has made a global impact by just being them. Having an outstanding discography, possessing great stage presence and live vocals, and being so humble in their success shows what true, genuine artists they are. They truly love their job. Especially with their most recent comeback, "Cosmic", you will see every member smile in pure joy while dancing. Maintaining an original concept consistently for over 10 years is such a hard thing to do. But Red Velvet has. I patiently wait for the day that Red Velvet will announce a world tour to the US. The day I see them perform the songs that have gotten me through rough, difficult times will be such an internal healing for me.

Music has always been a huge part of my life ever since I was young. Both parents come from musical backgrounds which filled our house with music all across art modalities. My love of music started with dancing. While learning different genres of dance, feeling the rhythm and tempo became my first lesson in developing my musicality. As I got older, my love for music developed and spread into more musical structures such as singing, songwriting, and guitar. Music has taken over my life and is something I can depend on despite whatever emotion. It’s something that I cannot live without. I cannot go a day or even a single moment without listening to music, singing, or dancing to a song. It is when my heart gets so full of love, it overflows and I feel so big. Music can melt all of my problems and allow the rest of the world to fade away. Singing is one of the few things I feel confident in and truly feel like I’m presenting my best self. Songwriting has become another way for me to express my feelings. It is my personal journal shared with the world. Writing has become a therapeutic process for me; being given a space to be as creative and free as I can be. It is now one of my deepest passions. When making my music, I write about the feelings that I am experiencing as my own form of self-therapy. It is my way of letting go and moving on. With this, I hope to write songs that people can relate to and make them not feel alone. I want my music to make a connection for someone; a song someone can turn on when they are feeling down and need comfort. They can understand and feel the passion that I put into my music and begin to appreciate it. There are amazing musicians and artists that inspire me every day. I hope to be that same inspiration, musically, for others. I would like my music to let a person feel as though they are valuable and deserving of respect, love, and care. All of this creates a community among them. We all go through similar experiences and relate to that connection they make when listening to either my music or something similar. Through this, we’ll be able to appreciate each other’s backgrounds, skills, and cultures. I would also like to give back to the community that nurtured my love for music initially. Back home, the arts programs are declining due to being underfunded by the county and the surrounding community is not aware we exist. How I would give back is to donate money to my high school, Dekalb School of the Arts, funding each discipline for new technology, equipment, and classroom decor. I imagine myself facilitating the love of the arts throughout the immediate community through benefit concerts as well as creating an organization to improve the overall growth of local performing arts students. A way to reach these goals is to build a strong team that has the same immediate goals. We’d work marketing within social media, performing music at different venues, and acquiring jobs that relate to the music industry.