Jacob Naumann Memorial Scholarship

Music has changed my life because when I was eleven years old I found out that I was adopted, when I found this out I became extremely depressed. The way I would take out my frustration was by doing self-harm, as a child I didn't know how to express what and how I was feeling. I had always loved music but I didn't think that it could help me. Until one day I listened to the band Paramore and it changed me, their music gave me a new perspective on life that my hurting myself was not helping but could make things worse. Unfortunately regardless of what they were saying in their songs I still didn't feel like a song got exactly how I was feeling. So my only solution was to write music, because it was coming straight from me I knew that I would be able to relate. Because of my discovery of writing music, I started to use that as an outlet for my frustrations and grief instead of taking it out on me and my body. That was six years ago but even to this day I still write music and perform, I can also proudly say that I have been self-harm free since then. Now I'm president of my school's elite choir "Pop Chorus" and I have performed in over five states, and sing as my job from bar to bar. Even though I love singing at bars, the career that I want is a postsecondary music/drama teacher, this is so I can have my life surrounded by music instead of it just being a hobby. Music has not just helped me find myself but it has helped me make new friends. I've met so many people from performing at gigs, that's how I even met my boyfriend. Not only has music given me a different perspective on life but it helped me meet the people that I will have in my life forever. Because music has made such an impact in my life I want to be able t go to college to get my major in music so not only so I can spread my story but to help people with theirs. I want to be a musical mentor and guide so I can help people navigate their way through music. Even if someone sings just for a hobby, listens to it to cope with issues, or makes it their career, I want to be able to help as many people as possible.

While attending college, the value I hope to receive from my education is to sharpen the skills I’ve obtained, in hopes of assisting me with the next steps in my career. My love for music has always been something I wanted to share with the world, and with the right equipment and software magical things can happen. To many, artists are seen in high budget studios with heavy equipment built in suited for recording. For me, I believe that the quality of music truly comes from within yourself, and with enough hard work the same product of music can be produced within your home. For music it always felt as though I had the potential to make a career out of it, but I never had the courage to actually put myself out there. My music teacher always put in his best efforts to get me to display my musical talent for my peers, and in doing so I was able to express myself more than I ever thought. I hope to show my music to the world one day, and further teach others in ways I was taught during my childhood. After graduating college with my Bachelors Degree in Digital Marketing and a Minor in Music Production I plan on continuing my goals of becoming an artist and sharing my music with the world. At times I felt as though I was alone, or that my music would be an outcast from my peers who were directed in other ways. In the future, I hope that I can provide the youth with enough motivation to always believe in themselves and keep improving no matter what. The amount of hard work and effort I provided into a subject was the same result that often came back to me. In providing the world with the courage to overcome their obstacles, many people will have success in whatever they choose to pursue in life. Everyone has the heart within themselves to become great, but sometimes with the efforts of people around us we can truly inspire others to achieve at a higher level. Football made a major impact on my life, but it took major time out of my life and out of my focus for school as well. I had a dream of becoming a NFL player, but never took into consideration how football could be taken out of my life at any moment one day. As I went through those highs and lows though, I realized that life was more meaningful than a football helmet or pads. I had to set the game aside to truly put my mind and mental state to the test, and therefore use my education to further who I am. Moving on to a more meaningful life ahead of me I will be able to further my education at Elmhurst University and continue to fulfill my musical aspirations that I have always dreamed of. The goal of this scholarship isn’t to obtain the money for my own benefit, but to use this money to further assist the community of artists who also feel as though they are not enough. In doing so, more artists will be able to express themselves and contribute to the movement that is going to be created. Often there are times where these goals that I set for myself seem unattainable, but with enough hope there will always be better opportunities to come. As we continue through this creation called life, there will always be adventures beyond your wildest dreams only if you are willing to look out and obtain them.