Music has always played a big role in my life; whether it be playing in an orchestra, listening to Spotify on my way to class, or playing a gig with my brass band. I’ve known since ninth grade that I would be going to college to study music, but I’ve always been interested in the academic side of things. When it came time to start applying to colleges, I decided that I would apply to some schools for music and some for physics/electrical engineering, leaving me with a hard decision when it came time to choose. I was drawn to UT because it gave me the ability to be a part of a great music school and trombone studio while also giving me the option to take academic classes from some of the best professors in the country. After my freshman year I started interning in the IT field doing software testing and quality assurance, and I quickly realized that this was something I wanted to expand upon. My sophomore year I began the pursue a certificate in computer science here at UT, and I’ve been taking CS classes and interning in the IT field ever since. I try to keep myself as musically involved as I can, and during my time at UT I’ve been an active part of over a dozen ensembles, both on campus and extracurricularly. I’ve played in the UT ensembles, trombone choir, chamber groups, country bands, church groups, and brass bands. With Big Wy’s Brass Band, my primary out-of-class ensemble, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of South by Southwest, I’ve performed at the Circuit of the Americas for the annual Formula One race, and most recently I’ve been taken abroad on two separate occasions and represented the U.S. in Guatemala and Costa Rica for international jazz festivals.

Majors:

Music Performance

Other Academic Interest:

Computer Science

Extracurricular Activities:

Pi Kappa Alpha - Beta Mu Chapter - Social Committee Chair; 2016 American Trombone Workshop Division I National Solo Competition Winner (Washington D.C.); Web Developer/Front-End Applications Intern at Nectar Company (Barcelona, Spain); Software Automation/Development Intern at Rivet Networks; Big Wy’s Brass Band - Treasurer and Lead Trombone

What drew you to the Forty Acres Scholars Program (FASP)?

The thing that makes Forty Acres unique is that the attention the individual scholars get makes it so much more than just a scholarship program. I applied to 11 colleges and got a lot of great offers from said colleges, but attending finalist’s weekend made me realize that what I was being offered was not a scholarship, but an entirely unique college experience. Forty Acres has given me the opportunity to meet Kevin Durant, intern abroad with a fellow scholar, network with successful alumni, and introduced me some of my closest friends.