I can still remember the sweater weather of March 10th, 2020, the air is cold and the day is warm. I was walking my dog, leash in my left hand and phone on my right. As I finished picking up my dog’s poop, I see my phone notifying me I had just received an email from stony brook. I was like, could this be it? could this be my acceptance? of course, it had to be my acceptance. My heart started pumping, I began to walk super anxious back home. I was in a hurry to open that email, I decided to open it in my room by myself than outside with my dog. As I sat down on my bed, I take my computer login and I see the page where it says “view application update”. As I click, I see confetti pop up on the screen, I started crying, I see the “I am very pleased to inform………” I was overjoyed, I started jumping in my room, It was a moment of triumph. All those sleepless nights, the bald spot on my head, it was all worth it, for this very moment.

High school, that makes me laugh, so many memories in that building, good and bad ones. My high school had 4 floors, we didn’t have sports but we focused on the arts, the whole first floor was dedicated to the music program. I will always be forever thankful to Murrow, for developing the love for music in me. Walking into the music hall I kid you, not It felt like a scene from the movie high school musical, kids on the floor sitting down leaning against their locker, some were playing the guitar, a group was harmonizing, some were just eating. I loved the musical hall, it was just so cool to be in. I had auditioned to get into the program with my clarinet, my music teacher was the only teacher I looked forward to seeing. Even if he would stop me at the door if I was 3 minutes late, or when he would give us written homework responding to music pieces, one of the funniest things that he would make us do is record a video of ourselves playing the piece at home so he could know that we were practicing. He was one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had, he showed me how to be punctual, how to take advantage of opportunities being thrown at you. There is always space, always time, to become a better musician or a better person. Because of him, I ended up taking 6 more music classes, learned how to play the piano and guitar, and even gained knowledge in music theory.