From the desert dirt to hallowed halls

My story as a musician and a human being may sound like a tall tale but is true as can be.

Transparency is one of the most important qualities to me. It is the only way we can be known as a species.

Born to blue collar parents in a rural area, money was tight but dreams were big. From a young age I was interested in any hobby that utilized your hands. From Lego and arts & crafts to baking and crochet, my skills as a child proved that I had a natural interest in artistry.

While I wanted to join band in elementary school, money was too tight for a rental instrument. In middle school, I finally had the option to join the music program with an instrument provided to me. I was a mediocre tuba player for two years before I realized that my true talents were in percussion and composition. Once I started playing percussion in eighth grade, I also began writing and arranging my own music. From writing ideas down on napkins in restaurants to figuring out notation software on my own, I had a dream to let my voice be heard. This was especially impressive to those around me since I struggled to read music in the very beginning since there was no one to teach it to me. Once reading music clicked, my true potential was unlocked. Over the next four years, I would rise up and beat all odds. From starting as the underdog freshman to conducting my own compositions and winning the John Philip Sousa band award as a senior, I showed myself what I was capable of. As the only senior in my class to pursue music in college, I was hungry for growth as a musician and human being.

When I was eleven years old, I watched a video of a harpist playing the overture to Verdi’s La Forza del Destino. It became clear to me what my end goal was in this life: to become a harpist.

My first year of college, I was told by a faculty member that there was no way I could play harp. They deemed it was too difficult. I spent the next three years of college trying to find my niche. Percussion lessons, piano lessons, vocal lessons, clarinet lessons, nothing would stick. My mind was too set on the harp.

Shortly after the beginning of a global pandemic, the stars aligned and my dream came true. I made the crazy choice after three years of college to change my major instrument.

In my Undergraduate Degree at California State University Northridge I performed two full length operas, countless orchestra, wind ensemble, and chamber music concerts. This was all after my mother passed away just six weeks into the school year.

In my Graduate Degree, I performed dozens of times per year in celebrated spaces such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall and for pop culture icons such as Francesca Farago and Jesse Sulli.

Post-graduate I have focused on finding true happiness outside of music and learning that there are many things that contribute to a happy life. My goal in life is to inspire others and help people find and celebrate their own voice. The adversity I have faced has not held be back, but it has showed me how to navigate life in a way that works for me.

Joy shared is joy doubled, sorrow shared is sorrow halved.-Swedish Proverb