Personal Narrative: Acting, Band, And STEM

Being raised in a very STEM-centric family, I began to realize the importance of STEM at an early age from spending time with my parents during school breaks. My mother is a professor of electrical engineering at Georgia Tech and my father is a civil engineer who works for Georgia Power. I played around with Scratch and small robots when I was very young, spending a lot of time at Georgia Tech. What we, humans, can create fascinates me. I

When it comes to STEM, the things that STEMulate my mind are the things that have to do with science and math. I really like the science part of STEM because it leaves me to explore, and I get to work hands on pretty much all of the time. I like the math portion of STEM because there really isn’t a time in my math class where we stop learning, and the effect of that is that I never stop thinking and I love it when I don’t stop thinking. I honestly enjoy working with the people at my tables in math and science class to build and solve everything, it gives me a chance to learn more about them and myself. I love my team members and even though I am a little “harsh” when it comes to working on and completing projects at times, I love how much I learn from and about them, when I

The clarinet has been a key part of my life for the past eleven years, and will continue to be important to me for years to come. In elementary and middle school, I tried dabbling in theater and singing, learning who I am and finding the confidence in what I do. Despite wanting to expand my talents, it is always the rod of black plastic, metal keys and a bamboo reed that whispers in my ears, calling me back. Time after time music calls out to me, like a limb I cannot live without.

When I was in my first year of high school, I had plenty of space for electives, so I had decided to take keyboard since I had taken it before in middle school and enjoyed it. I enjoyed being in the music wing and being around talented and creative people, so my second year of high school I decided to join the marching band.

Next year, I plan to major in Computer Engineering and begin a career helping make the world a better place through innovative technology. I realized my talents for math and sciences during freshman year of high school, and remember the exact moment I knew engineering was meant for me. While exploring the engineering shop at my vocational technical high school, the teacher showed my class a video of MIT students designing prosthetic limbs for amputees. It was then that I realized I could use my love of math and science to really help people.

I have been interested in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) for as long as I can remember. In school I received many more opportunities to broaden my horizons. As soon as I found out about it, I joined the Robotics team. My experience being a part of this team has been quite crucial to my decision about what I want to study in college. Robotics made me realize that Engineering is a very exciting field. The countless problems and the time crunches are quite invigorating. I was the Programming Captain in my junior year and I am currently the Robot Manager of the team. The courses I took throughout my high school career have also been crucial to my decision. I

I later took up band in seventh grade to get a sense of what music is. Intentionally, I wanted to play the alto-sax and hopefully learn to make great music with it, but it would cost me, so I chose a clarinet. The clarinet had an interesting sound similar to a sax and it was nice to know that I sounded better than Squidward Tentacles. The flute was another instrument that caught my eye, it looked like a recorder but looks and sounds relatively refined. But, I could never get the embouchure right to get that sweet flute sound, instead it sounded like blowing air into a tube, looking back, I probably wasn’t ready to play it

I don’t remember if it was my choice or my parents, but in 5th grade when we were given the choice to be in band, I was very anxious to start. We got to meet with Mrs. Jones and try a few different instruments before making a decision. My top three choices were percussion, trombone, and clarinet (only because my sister had played it). I tried the clarinet first and thought it was alright, but not my favorite. I tried the trombone next, and while it was difficult, I really wanted to keep trying. I also tried percussion- she just had me keep a beat on my leg- and I thought percussion may be difficult for me, but I still wanted to do it. In the end, Mrs. Jones decided I would be best fit for the clarinet, mostly because I could use my sisters and not have to buy a new instrument. I was happy with the choice, mostly because I was excited to be playing anything!

When I first joined the marching band in high school, I was very insecure and unsure of what to expect because it was very unfamiliar to me. Near the beginning of the season, our director and staff began to teach us how to march and play simultaneously. Many people were doing fine but some were struggling and I was one of those kids in that predicament.

The marching band has also felt like a home away from home. If I wasn’t at home with my parents, I was on the band field. While being in the marching band at my high school, my long-term goal was to become their drum major for my last two years. I wanted to be the drum major that would cause the band members to put every ounce of passion into performing the show. Once I decided this during my freshman year, I put my heart and soul into my band. I stepped up to any work my band director needed help with. Whether it was fundraising or running OMEA (Ohio Music Education Association) events or lining the band field, I was there to show my band director I was ready to be a leader. My setback came when I didn't achieve section leader for the flutes

Entering 6th grade, I decided to join beginning band at Torch Middle School in La Puente and chose the clarinet as my instrument. Out of the eight clarinet players that were in band, I was the worst. I became determined to become a better clarinet player and dedicated my time to practicing my instrument at home. By the end of 8th grade, I was impressed with my improvement and became third best out of six clarinets. However, freshmen year came along and I felt newcomer again. I was bent on becoming one of the best clarinet players.

Marching Band has been a part of my life since I was about 9 years old. “I’m with the band” has been something I’ve said since I was in the fourth grade. In 2008, my band director, Mrs. Bollaro decided she would create a Pep Band, which soon turned into the ALJ Marching Band. My oldest brother, Eddie joined, and two years later, my other brother, Giulian joined. I was always mesmerized by the pretty flags and the spinning weapons, so it was not a surprise when I decided to join colorguard. When I finally made it to the eighth grade, I was allowed to join the colorguard. From the moment I knew what colorguard was, I wanted to be a part of it. My mom, and two of my aunts were in their high school colorguards, so being in colorguard meant more than just spinning. Joining marching band meant that I was following in my family traditions, and continuing what my family had started.

Summer before junior year of high school, I was looking at a lot of standardized tests, essays, a heavier school workload, college applications, and getting a driver's license; my most immediate concern, however, was the soon to begin marching band season. Spring semester of sophomore year I had decided to audition for a leadership position in the band, and I suppose I was the best candidate because I managed to snag Section Leader for my instrument, clarinet. As the final days of July passed by, I anticipated the start of a season where I would be mentoring and teaching my fellow clarinet players the complex art of marching band. A few days before leadership camp I received a letter in the mail from the Head Band Director, Mr. Larry Brown, and immediately I knew things were not going to be what I expected.

The clarinet’s versatility makes it an ideal instrument for several genres of music. The most popular genres use the clarinet because of its flexibility, virtuosity and ability to play in the extremes of the instrument’s range. It is a core member of the orchestra and blends well with woodwind, brass and string instruments. Jazz

When I think of things that represent who I am, the one thing that always comes to mind is a stage. During my time in high school I was involved in the theatre department and I always seemed to take part in anything that had to do with acting. Acting became the one thing that I could count on to help me escape from my hard realities. Stepping on that stage and feeling the hot lights burn down on my skin made me feel invincible. Getting that rush of nerves that made my stomach churn always simmered away as I fed off of the audience’s energy. Once I got started I couldn’t be stopped. Being on that stage took me to another world every night with the rich smells of the buttered popcorn and concession candy. I didn’t have to think about any of my