Daughter of a music major and a self-taught luthier, the only kind of music my parents really agreed on is celtic folk music. My mom was a classically trained musician, and liked being in marching bands. My dad was more into playing bass guitar in his friend's garage band. Somehow this resulted in listening to traditional Irish ballads. That did not stop my older sisters from venturing into genres such as symphonic metal, ska, punk-rock, and some truly underground hipster bands when I was a kid. Singer-song writer music drove me as a guitar player. Video game soundtracks from Japan made me a better pianist. Folk music across Europe and America had me picking up my banjo and mandolin. But my main instrument has always been singing. Since the age of five, I had performed in choirs of all sorts, whether it was at an assisted living center or some of the largest halls in my state. While I had over a decade of choir experience, I never recieved private voice lessons until my senior year of high-school. I knew thats what I wanted. The next year I was so ready to conquer being a music major in college. I started at Salt Lake Community College. I loved all my professors. Except one. the man who taught music theory was not just strict or demanding, he was often unsympathetic and at times, entirely cruel. He would mock students for misunderstanding his teachings, and I had to do everything in my power to hold back tears at least once. After my first year with this teacher, I quit music. I burned out. After graduating with an associates of science, I turned my focus elsewhere. I got married, worked in special education. I was pretty sure I would never get a bachelor's degree, and that was fine by me. During COVID-19, my husband and I ended up moving in with my parents. I worked part time for a year, but everything started feeling stale. after some introspection, My husband and I both decided it was time to go back to school. When I came to Utah Valley University, I actually started as a humanities major with a minor in music. Eventually my voice teacher had asked about my goals and future career, so I told her that my big dream career would be having a home studio where I could write and record my own music, maybe even performing and touring someday. So why the heck was I a humanities major? She prompted me to consider auditioning for the Commercial Music program. Obviously it aligns more with my goals, but it is way scarier. So here I am (one rejection and one acxeptance later), honing my singing, learning about digital audio workstations and how to improvise on a jazz standard. There was another hiccup in the plan, a very difficult, but extremely rewarding detour: my son, born in 2024. I feel now more than ever that finishing my degree is important, not just for me but for my family. Statistics show that a child is much more likely to finish a degree if their mother finished hers. I am already putting some career foundations into place: researching distributors for my music, putting together a YouTube channel and other social media for when I'm ready to debut what I've been composing. I am also brainstorming ideas for summer programs and private lessons to teach kids music. Thank you for your time spent reading about my goals and dreams.

I have had the opportunity to serve as a leader in different ways throughout my life. I am currently serving on a leadership presidency in my church, specifically in serving other women in leadership positions. I believe a great leader knows when to listen and be a team player, and when to take charge. Being a leader is about serving more than taking. You need humility to get the work done. As a presidency, we work together to lead and serve women to make a difference in their communities, by fulfilling physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. I believe it is so important to support women in these ways, whether it be individually or as a community, because when women have their needs met, the needs of families and communities are met as well. I believe it is crucial in my role as a leader to not only be someone others can look up to, but someone they can rely on. It is incredibly humbling, and it's easy to feel under qualified, inferior, or like an imposter. But still, we find confidence in ourselves and as a team as we give to the community. Oftentimes being a leader has meant swimming way out of my comfort zone. Last year, I organized a large service project collecting school and hygiene supplies for underprivileged school children in the Granite district. This was part of a larger, state wide Day of Service. While I initiated things, there came a point when I had to lean on my presidency members to continue as I was overwhelmed by not only the service project, but school and some mental and physical health concerns. I was able to lead once again on the day of the service project by setting up the space, directing volunteers, answering questions, on of what could have been a very chaotic morning, but turned into a successful day of service, providing scores of new backpacks loaded with school supplies and personal care items. In the future, I hope to continue being a leader in my community. One way I hope to achieve this is by teaching and inspiring the rising generation of creative minds by teaching and providing resources to musicians at the beginning of their journey. I want to guide young (and young at heart!) creators into their own style. I have had so many leaders and mentors in my life that have encouraged and guided me towards my career. Career aside, the examples of many leaders in my life has helped me become who I am today. I am forever grateful to them, especially the people who guided me as a teen towards discipline, passion, confidence, and empathy. I will strive to emulate their examples as I lead my future children, future students, and become a leader in my future community.

since 1989 is on of my favorite Taylor Swift albums, I wasn't sure at first which song was my favorite. I had to study the song list and focus on which one I listened to the most, which music video did I obsess over, which lyrics told the most vivid story in my mind. Out of the Woods definitely takes the cake on those three points. I remember the first time I saw the Out of the Woods music video. I was stunned by the cinematography, costuming, and set design. Now, I know the question isn't about music videos per se, but in this case it definitely helped me choose a favorite. As someone who is studying music production and performance, I really appreciate a beautiful music video. They inspire me. I've loved a lot of Taylor Swift's music videos, ever since I was a tween watching You Belong With Me while on the landline phone with my friend, since we were "too young" for cellphones. I hope that someday I will be producing music videos as amazing as hers. As a musician, I love analyzing this song. In the intro of this song, background singers are used, but not to sing lyrics. They are used more as an additional instrument. I love the "non-traditional" use, because in production and mixing the reverb of the singers voices has a "cut off" quality that further separates it from sounding like a human voice. I love the treatment of Swift's voice as well, where breath quality is preserved. Usually when mixing and producing a song, extra breath before and after a phrase are cut out to give a more polished feel. However, Taylor Swift's breath work is left on, which gives it an excellent human quality, making the voice (and thus the lyrics,) a really intimate quality. The driving, repetitive rhythm of the lyrics and melody in the chorus has a primitive and esoteric quality. It's so fitting because she is singing about such raw and primitive feelings. Just because she references modern situations and technology throughout the song, it doesn't mean that the core struggle of the song is new. The struggle with navigating relationships is a uniquely human, universal experience. Besides that, the driving rhythm makes the song utterly addictive in it's repetition. It's an easy ear-worm, a pattern that sticks in your mind. These are just a few of the elements that I appreciate about this song. The story telling is just so sophisticated between the lyrics, the musical elements themselves, and the visuals in the official music video. That is why I chose Out of the Woods as my favorite 1989 song.

I've always stood out. Most often like a sore thumb. There are always people who doubted and rejected me. Something was always "wrong", growing up and even now. I am considered too loud. Too fat. Too wild. Growing up with undiagnosed mental and neurological conditions made me easy to exclude. Between the synesthesia, ADHD, and OCD, I was oblivious to things that were obvious to others while recognizing connections that they failed to see. My brain was genuinely wired differently from those I grew up with. I knew that being a unique individual would be an asset, but a desire for belonging is only human. However, the more I tried to shrink myself, the worse I felt. I could not fit in places I did not belong, and those places were everywhere! \ Being a maverick began when I decided I would not be embarrassed anymore. I would learn to roll with the punches, and sincerely enjoy the things I enjoy. I would explore the fashion I love and I would no longer be ashamed of my weird little self. That was a start. As a religious person, I often seek ways to better myself and help others. My personal little mission grew into living boldly and honestly. I don't believe I was put on this earth to stand in the background or be afraid of myself or what others think. That helps no one. That encourages no one. I now speak candidly about my experience of growing up with undiagnosed ADHD and OCD. I talk about my life being bullied and being a bully, and how compassion changed my perspective as a victim, that I could become a victor. I speak about health struggles, how not every disability is obvious, and my struggles with infertility. I no longer shy away from my talents, now knowing the difference between being humble and doubting yourself. I used to be afraid to say "yes" to opportunities. Now I grab all the opportunities I can. The greatest compliment I ever received was from a childhood friend. She said, "Sarah, you are so yourself, that you make other people feel safe to be themselves." If my loudness, non-conformity, body-positivity, silliness, and courage can help someone- anyone- feel safe to be vulnerable, safe to pull off the mask, brave enough to be themselves, then that's the best thing I can think of doing. Changing the world begins with loving yourself and spreading that compassion to others. This is what I truly believe.

I was 5 when I first began performing music. In a children's choir, we learned folk songs, how to read rhythm, and how to behave on stage. A year later, I was picking out tunes on the piano; Ode to Joy was the first, and a hymn called Come Thou Fount was the second. While my mother had majored in music herself and my father became a passionate luthier, as the parents of 7 children, they could not always afford to pay for private music lessons. As the youngest daughter, I was taught how to read music and play piano at home, only having professional private lessons during my last year of high school. However, this never prevented me from enjoying and excelling in choirs, folk bands, and picking up every instrument available to me. I would (and still do) pick up anything, violins, flutes, guitars, dulcimers, etc, and tinker with it until I found a melody to play. But most of all, I sang. The summer between my junior and senior years I came down with an illness that attacked my lungs. I squawked for months. I had been a high soprano before, singing soaring high notes in descants and stretching my limits. The illness significantly altered my range to that of a male tenor, and not a very good one. To this day we don't know what the illness was. I had to re-learn how to sing, something that I had done my whole life. I had to regain confidence and trust in my voice, something I still struggle with from time to time. With kind and compassionate teachers and coaches, I have regained my voice and developed it beyond what it was before. Currently, as a student, I am continuing to learn healthy and beautiful singing techniques, as well as develop skills in music recording, production, and composition. Even though I look back at my journey and feel that I have come so far, I know I have much further to go. For this reason, I decided to go back to school after a 5 year break and work for the things I am passionate about. One day, I hope to have a home studio where I can create music as an independent artist and compose music for video games, TV shows, and movies. I want to host workshops and private lessons for the next generation of bright musicians, mentoring them until they understand that everyone has a perspective, a voice, that deserves to be heard.