Everyone has reasons they do what they do. I did everything purely because my older cousins did them. My whole life, I was always told to do everything that they did. They were the smart ones, always being shown off by everyone. “Shawn does really well in math; now he’s moved up a class.” “Paula won first place in the spelling bee; now she’s going to states.”

I blindly followed them wherever they headed in life. My mom desperately wanted me to go to Kaimuki Middle School and I refused because “my cousins go to Washington Middle.” My dad begged me to go to Kalani High School and I refused because “that’s not where my cousins go.”

You could say the same thing about my extracurriculars. I only joined Band because that’s what my cousins were doing. My oldest cousin came home one day with a saxophone and I was amazed. My parents never played instruments and music was never a big part of their lives. Seeing him play (albeit it poorly) made me think he was so cool. The following year, my cousin came home with a clarinet. I thought, “I want to be successful and cool like them.”

I started in sixth grade and chose flute based on the poster in the music room at my elementary school. I didn’t really have a passion to play, and just wanted to do it because Shawn and Paula did it. I didn’t take music seriously as I continued through middle school.

It wasn’t until high school that I finally found the joy in playing within such a big ensemble. Maybe it was the energy from the football games or the cheerfulness of the Christmas parades. But I know for a fact that part of it was the people that surrounded me. My friends from middle school were still there but now we had something to look forward to. I thank my seniors that year the most for making me feel so comfortable and welcomed.

Changes in structure and information were made on 5/28/2020.