For as long as I can remember, music has been my greatest passion. When I was a child, my mother sang songs to me, and as I got older, we made up silly songs to sing together. However, when I was in third grade, it became apparent through my participation in a Broadway showcase production that I could not sing, and when I say I couldn’t, I mean I COULD…NOT…SING! 

After experiencing my lack of vocal ability firsthand, my parents registered me for private voice lessons. For seven years, I worked with numerous voice teachers. I also joined my middle and high school concert choirs, which led me to consider pursuing a music therapy degree in college. Over the course of my studies, music became such a part of my identity that I couldn’t imagine what I would do without it. Little did I know I would soon have the opportunity to find out.

I found myself at a difficult crossroads when I saw my schedule for senior year. Initially, I was excited, but when I took a closer look, my excitement quickly shifted to disappointment. I saw one of my favorite classes – Newspaper – but Concert Choir was nowhere on the schedule. At first, I thought there must have been an error, but I later found that both classes were offered in the same period. I knew I had a difficult decision to make: I could change my schedule to keep my spot in Concert Choir or honor the commitment I had already made to my Newspaper teacher of becoming the News Editor. Music had been a central focus in life for several years, but somehow, I found myself gravitating toward Newspaper with each list of pros and cons I made. 

Looking back on the process, I think the aspect that attracted me to Newspaper my sophomore year – and what compelled me to return my junior year – was that journalistic writing was something I had never done before, but when I tried it, I fell in love with it. Even though it was outside of my comfort zone since all I had ever written were fictional stories, enrolling in the class helped me discover that something I had never thought about doing before, like music, had become a central part of who I am. Eventually, I decided that honoring my commitment to my editor position was most important.

For the first few weeks of my senior year, I missed Concert Choir, wondering if I made the right choice, but now I regard it as one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The newspaper staff has become my second family and I couldn’t imagine my life without them. The articles I have written for the paper this year have also inspired me to further explore my love of journalism as a staff writer in college publications. Although I am currently pursuing other passions, I know that music will always be a part of my life and hold a special place in my heart.