An artist pushes against their personal, physical, and social restraints to attempt something new and impactful. When I make music, I push myself and the people around me to use my art as a medium for helping people—whether that be through socially-conscious messaging in my original music, providing free music to young children, or performing benefit concerts for local charities. In all of my work, I try not only to push the boundaries of my music, but to do so in a way that helps my community. Through this scholarship, I will be able to fund my college experience at Berklee College of Music, where I can continue to carve my path as a singer-songwriter using my art toward the betterment of my community. Music is a language that connects communities, and it has the potential to change them through social work and education. My musical strength has brought a source of joy in my life that connects me to so many people around me. Early morning packing band equipment, long school days lugging guitar cases through AP lectures, after-school performance gigs, and late-night homework sessions—these are the hallmarks of my musical career. My education has pushed me to embrace my love of music, and more recently, translate it to unprecedented digital workspaces. My perseverance, combined with an academic rigor that will follow me into college years, have shaped my presence as a musician committed to my art. However, my most precious musical memories have been the time I have spent teaching music to others. In the Sagemont Synergy music program, I began to understand the role of a musical mentor as I sat down after school to teach my peers musical arrangements for our shows. I am grateful that I was able to take my mentorship to a new level by helping young children grow in the Sagemont Siblings program. Taking this program in a new direction, I grew as a leader while I worked towards my goal of using musical education to promote youth empowerment. This was a turning point that led me to more active engagement with my local community outside of school, such as an intensive internship with the Arts Council of Greater Weston.  Now, these experiences have prepared me to embark on the next stage of my artistic journey as a songwriter in the Berklee College of Music. From empowering young girls to try their first instruments to leading an honor society of my peers that hope to build musical careers in the future, I have used music as an art and a bridge between myself and future generations. Through my acts of service to my community, I know that one person’s music is an act of community, and it can be used to promote positive social change on the local level and greater. Should I receive this award, I will use it to continue to implement these values in college, despite changing times and uncertain circumstances. I will forever be a leader, a collaborator, a friend, a mentor, committed to affecting change through my art.

Six years ago, my father asked me to pick up the electric guitar that lay abandoned in his office. I hesitated, surveying the foreign instrument with its incomprehensible fretboard. Within a couple weeks, though, I was hooked on the instrument and composing original songs. I have always approached a foreign environment with the same curiosity that led me to pick up my first guitar, and my time in college will be no different. This scholarship will allow me to finance my education as I explore new learning environments and build a sustainable career for myself as a working musician. As a major in music performance, I will dive head-first into my career as a singer-songwriter, live performer, and studio musician. Placement in an intensive college music program is critical for me, because progressive programs like creative entrepreneurship will allow me to match my musical skill with business sense. Concurrently, I will maintain the commitment to community involvement that I have garnered through activities like my presidency of the Tri-M Honor Society, as well as expand my education to align with my own ambitions toward social change. For instance, I will continue to study American Sign Language in college, something I started in order to better advocate for music accessibility for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Attaining the intensive education through which I can achieve these goals comes with high financial barriers, and after a year of unforeseeable hardship, my family cannot scale those barriers alone. This scholarship will allow me to work towards creative development, business capability, and social understanding in college. I know that I stand at the brink of these creative thresholds; I will bloom into a successful, sustainable, and socially conscious creator in their wake.

An artist pushes against their personal, physical, and social restraints to attempt something new and impactful. When I make music, I push myself and the people around me to use my art as a medium for helping people—whether that be through socially-conscious messaging in my original music, providing free music to young children, or performing benefit concerts for local charities. In all of my work, I try not only to push the boundaries of my music, but to do so in a way that helps my community. Through this scholarship, I will be able to fund my college experience at Berklee College of Music, where I can continue to carve my path as a singer-songwriter using my art toward the betterment of my community. Music is a language that connects communities, and it has the potential to change them through social work and education. My musical strength has brought a source of joy in my life that connects me to so many people around me. Early morning packing band equipment, long school days lugging guitar cases through AP lectures, after-school performance gigs, and late-night homework sessions—these are the hallmarks of my musical career. My education has pushed me to embrace my love of music, and more recently, translate it to unprecedented digital workspaces. My perseverance, combined with an academic rigor that will follow me into college years, have shaped my presence as a musician committed to my art. However, my most precious musical memories have been the time I have spent teaching music to others. In the Sagemont Synergy music program, I began to understand the role of a musical mentor as I sat down after school to teach my peers musical arrangements for our shows. I am grateful that I was able to take my mentorship to a new level by helping young children grow in the Sagemont Siblings program. Taking this program in a new direction, I grew as a leader while I worked towards my goal of using musical education to promote youth empowerment. This was a turning point that led me to more active engagement with my local community outside of school, such as an intensive internship with the Arts Council of Greater Weston.  Now, these experiences have prepared me to embark on the next stage of my artistic journey as a songwriter in the Berklee College of Music. From empowering young girls to try their first instruments to leading an honor society of my peers that hope to build musical careers in the future, I have used music as an art and a bridge between myself and future generations. Through my acts of service to my community, I know that one person’s music is an act of community, and it can be used to promote positive social change on the local level and greater. Should I receive this award, I will use it to continue to implement these values in college, despite changing times and uncertain circumstances. I will forever be a leader, a collaborator, a friend, a mentor, committed to affecting change through my art.

Six years ago, my father asked me to pick up the electric guitar that lay abandoned in his office. I hesitated, surveying the foreign instrument with its incomprehensible fretboard. Within a couple weeks, though, I was hooked on the instrument and composing original songs. I told myself, “One day, I will play like “Jimi Hendrix”. Within months, I had grabbed hold of that dream without looking back. Early mornings packing band equipment, long afternoons lugging guitar cases through AP lectures, presiding speeches to my school’s music honor society, after-school performance gigs, and late-night homework sessions—these became the hallmarks of my high school career. My education has pushed me to embrace my love of music, and more recently, translate it to unprecedented digital workspaces. My music, and my commitment to sharing it with my community, are the source of my greatest ambitions. Six years after I first picked up a guitar, an unorthodox end to my high school career during COVID-19 has also marked the beginning of an unprecedented college experience. I ended my senior year being named a Miami Herald Silver Knight, a Florida distinction held by a handful of service-driven students across counties (including the likes of Jeff Bezos). I was also able to end my senior year with an in-person graduation ceremony, where I was able to finally reveal my “true colors” to my community when I used my class speech to come out as bisexual. The acceptance I felt around my academic, artistic, and personal beliefs and endeavors were everything to me. I was reminded of all the connections I have made to my school and local community, and how much we help each other. I have always approached a foreign environment with the same curiosity that led me to pick up my first guitar, and my time in college this coming school year will be no different. As a major in music performance, I will dive head-first into my career as a singer-songwriter, live performer, and studio musician. Placement in an intensive college music program is critical for me, because progressive programs like creative entrepreneurship will allow me to match my musical skill with business sense. Concurrently, I will use college clubs to maintain the commitment to community involvement that I have garnered through activities like my presidency of the Tri-M Honor Society, as well as expand my education to align with my own ambitions toward social change. Attaining the intensive education of my ambitions comes with high financial barriers, and after a year of unforeseeable hardship, my family cannot scale those barriers alone. This scholarship will allow me to work towards creative development, business capability, and social understanding in college. I know that I stand at the brink of these creative thresholds; I will bloom into a successful, sustainable, and socially conscious creator in their wake.