Singer. Teacher. Student of Life.

My time in high school

Attended high school in the
2000s

Overall high school experience
8/10. [Teacher name omitted] at [high school] changed the course of my life. I became a professional singer because of her mentoring.

Grades in high school
Mostly A's

 

Favorite subjects
English, History / Social Studies, Performing Arts

Struggled with...
My hardest course was an honors geometry course I ended up transferring out of because I wasn't connecting with the material and when I asked for help the teacher told me he didn't have time to help me. It was a difficult semester, but in the end it worked out because I became the best student in the class i transferred into.

Favorite extracurricular
Spectrum singers


Life since high school

My biggest mistake has been selling myself short. I’ve learned to never assume you’re the least talented/smart person in the room. You always have something to offer that is unique to you. And remember to go with your gut.

Attended college / university at
University of Washington

Majored in
Bachelor of Arts I music, Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, minor in women's studies.

Post-graduate education or training
Masters of Music degree and professional studies Certificate from Manhattan School of Music in classical voice

Places lived in US
New York, Washington

Places lived outside the US
Only temporarily in Italy for summer programs

Current occupations / past occupations
Opera singer, singer, voice and piano teacher, Campus Store Manager all currently. Previously nanny, personal assistant for a composer, teacher at various private music schools, scheduling associate, assistant to the resident director.

Industries I've worked in
- Retail Trade
- Administrative and Support Services
- Educational Services
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
- Nonprofit
- Childcare

Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yes absolutely.


A little introspection...

To me, being successful means...
Being able to take care of myself and those I love, and feeling happy with my life.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
It's so much broader than I ever could have imagined it growing up.

My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
My greatest accomplishment to date was scoring the lead role in my school's opera theatre program in my second year of graduate school at Manhattan School of Music.

My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
My biggest mistake has been selling myself short. I've learned to never assume you're the least talented/smart person in the room. You always have something to offer that is unique to you. And remember to go with your gut. 

An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
My brother became very ill and I had to spend a lot of time in a hospital taking care of him and worrying about him. It was a huge event for my family and the hospital bill was over a million dollars; luckily my brother was still covered my by parent's insurance and most all of his debt was covered. It made me want to take more responsibility for my own financial future to make sure that if anything happened to me my family wouldn't be left with expensive medical bills. I ended up taking a job that would provide me with insurance, so in a lot of ways this event scared me and made me become more of a responsible adult.

Anything else you'd like to share?
Attending [high school] was not easy. I often felt like an outsider despite having a great group of loyal friends and many classes that I loved. I always felt like I had different hopes and dreams than everyone I went to school with. And I wasn't originally from Palo Alto so i always felt a bit different from everyone, but my experience there certainly shaped who I am today and in the end I was so grateful for how well it prepared me to succeed at whatever I decided to do. It taught me a bit about how to fight for what I wanted. How to fight to be me.


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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto

Stanford campus where I grew up