Meet Ella. Ella Young graduated from GHS in the class of 2022, with a looming decision staring her in the face—the choice between practicality or passion. Ella was accepted into the Berklee College of Music, the largest independent music college in the world known for its focus on contemporary music programs, in Boston, Massachusetts. When she graduated, Ella was torn between attending a more traditional college with a more traditional educational style, or shirking practicality and pursuing her dreams of becoming a musician and music teacher. Ultimately, she feels like she made the right call. Ella took on a lot during her GHS career: track and field, the newspaper, rigorous course loads, and other GEF-funded activities, but was encouraged along the way to go after her true love: singing. Ella offers voice lessons in her free time, and is going into her sophomore year excited to improve further as a musician and discover all that the world of music has to offer.

What are you studying right now?

I’m studying vocal performance at Berklee. What that looks like for me is I take 14-16 credits per semester, I have to take private vocal lessons each semester as well as recital preparation, which prepares you to perform. I also take core music, which is stuff like ear training, harmony, arranging, things like that, and then I take a handful of liberal arts classes too.

In high school, what were your main extracurricular activities?

My main extracurriculars were track and field, both indoor and outdoor, chorus, I was in the pep band and lab band playing guitar, I did National Honors Society, and I was in the Gender Equity in STEM club. I also did the Gillnetter, which was fun.

What about these activities led you to choose to go to music school, over a more traditional college?

Having experience in the band and chorus really showed me what a strong community that can be, we were all very different but we all got along and bonded over music. I also got to see what rehearsals look like in a college setting, because we got to go to Endicott College to observe some. Mr Lundquist, the music teacher, really nourished the passion I had and encouraged me a lot. Honestly, track also really influenced my decision. I was struggling with whether I should choose practicality over my passion. I knew I wanted to do music no matter what, but I was considering going to a college where I’d have a better scholarship, because UMass Amherst was going to offer me that, but I felt like I didn’t click there. I really wanted to go to Berklee, and my track coach told me to just do it. I really appreciated that. Ms Cafasso, who was involved in Gender Equity in STEM, told me the same thing. I felt a lot of support even from the activities that weren’t music-related.

Was there a specific moment where you knew you were going to pursue music?

I knew before high school that I wanted to do this. I knew I wanted to study music and be a musician when I was in 7th grade and I did the middle school school talent show. I did it, and I just felt so complete and fulfilled. That was when I knew.

What was the journey like from that moment of realization up till now?

I always felt passionate about singing After doing the talent show, I joined the chorus and I really enjoyed my time there, but I noticed that a lot of people only did it to get out of taking other classes. But, I loved the teacher, Mr Menezes. In high school, I joined the chorus led by Mr Fleury, the previous music teacher, and I was really intimidated. I thought I wasn’t cut out for it, but I joined and I realized I was okay. I did some Berklee online summer programs, which helped me connect with people in that community. I put a lot of pressure on myself in high school to improve as rapidly as possible, and do everything at once, which was insane. I started learning guitar and writing songs, and learning how to produce a song. I was trying to do everything all the time and I wasn’t doing anything well. I feel like now, I’m at this place where I’ve realized I need to pick a few things to really focus on and hone. I’m focused on my singing, and my songwriting. The journey has been mostly about realizing that I’m capable of a lot, I’m worthy of being where I am, and I don’t have to be good at everything. I just have to be me.

Who or what would you name as your greatest inspirations, now that you’re in college?

My private lesson teacher, her name is Harshitha Krishnan. She is from Nigeria, with Indian ancestry, and she is so inspirational to me. She came to Berklee as an older student, she’s very open with her struggles with mental health and she’s very encouraging. She gives me clear feedback, and to see someone who’s doing what I want to do and who is open about overcoming her struggles, it makes me feel like I can do what she’s doing. She was nominated for a Grammy this past year for her work on the Berklee Indian Ensemble album, which is incredible.

How are you feeling about your future after college? What do you see yourself doing?

I sort of yo-yo between feeling apprehensive and doubtful and feeling extremely hopeful. The thing about college is that after my first year, I improved so much more than I ever thought I could. I thought I would never be a good enough singer for a long time. I improved so much, and that gave me hope for my future. But at the same time, I see that I have so much more to do, and that’s the part that makes me feel doubtful. If everything goes well for me, I see myself recording my own music, performing, touring, teaching. I love teaching. I love everything about what I do, and I want to do it all.

*This article is part of a series funded by the Gloucester Education Foundation. An abbreviated version is published on the GEF website.