Why I Pursue a Career in Business and Music

Personal Statement

Thank you in advance for your consideration of the personal statement of a young person who is talented in music and the arts and has a passion to learn the business side of life. I have a story to tell about how I moved from uncertainty and resentment to a sense of youthful maturity, and how with these 18 years behind me I have a perspective that focuses in on my future, which I know will be bright and productive. I deeply appreciate you listening to what I have to present in this essay.

Growing up without a father is not a unique challenge. I'm sure millions of children have faced that issue; but I was an only child at the age of 4 when my parents split up, so without siblings I sometimes struggled. Anger was my response to many of the times when I needed an older brother or older sister -- or just any family member besides my mother -- to lend an ear and envelop me with warm hugs.

High school friends, great motivating teachers, and my passion for music brought me from the valley of youthful confusion to the mountaintop of understanding. I ran track all four years, I was a key member of the school music club; in addition, I had the great opportunity to learn and contribute as a business intern with a noted community enterprise.

I firmly believe I have a clear vision for my future, and the college experience will provide the pathway for me to succeed in the future. I know I'm the driver, I do the steering, but I do need a path, an opportunity, and attending a quality institution of higher learning is precisely that conduit.

For me, the arts provided not just an outlet for my energy, but also a goal that I knew I could achieve. Though I was often angry, and I did not always treat my mother as graciously as I could have, in time I reached a point where that anger began to fade and respect for my mother took its place.

She introduced me to the genuine joy of Broadway musicals and plays. I began to find excitement and motivation for myself by watching dance, plays, and art exhibitions. With no siblings and a mother often at work, listening to quality music and watching the wonderful performances online, in movies, and on television, of talented artists, was more than an escape for me. It was my safety net. It was the fuel in my tank.

In time, I was trying out for parts and being seen as a talented, bright, potentially excellent artist. Indeed, I had the opportunity to perform in dance pieces at the iconic Apollo Theatre -- with the prestigious Alvin Ailey Dance Company -- for two years.

That opportunity has provided me with a level of confidence for my future that I would not have believed I could achieve years earlier. It was a spark, and now I want to build a fire for myself in the music and the arts and in business. But I know I need the kindling, the aged oak logs of experience and learning before I can burn brightly in a world already blessed with talented young people.

What are my immediate plans for a major and a minor at the college level?