
Berklee Students Give Advice to Their High School Selves As the semester kicks off, students reflect on what they wish they knew in high school-from knowing when to slow down to not worrying if My Chemical Romance would reunite.
By
Bryan Parys
August 31, 2023
Image by Kelly Davidson
The new semester marks the arrival of new and returning students ready to push their musical journeys forward. But it wasnt all that long ago that many of them were in high school dealing with their own insecurities and wondering whether or not their artistic passions were worth investing in.
In the spirit of If I knew then what I know now, we asked current and recent students featured in our Student Spotlight series-from undergraduates in Boston to graduate students in Spain and New York-what advice theyd give their younger selves. Heres what they said:
Be Yourself . . . Aileen (Ping-Chen) Shen: You know what is deep down in your heart; do what you love and are passionate about. Focus, and don't let the world or other people's sayings and opinions shake you. Go make music and perform.
JahQuan Richards B.M. 23
Continue to be true to yourself! You're already a reserved person as it is. Don't let anybody try to dim your light whenever you do show confidence in yourself.
Gaby Pedraza: Stop comparing yourself to others. This is such an easy pitfall for all of us musicians and artists. . . . As long as you love what you do, no one will ever be able to bring you down.
. . . But Stay Open Carolin Bohnemann M.A. 23 (Valencia): Taking a risk and doing something new and getting out of your comfort zone will be worth it. Do not be afraid of moving abroad, living on your own, and studying in a different language, because the people you meet and the memories you make are priceless.
Riley Finkle B.M. 23
You might think you know what's going to happen, but you have no idea. I never thought I'd be able to work at Harvard or MIT, and I never thought I'd be able to do things at Berklee like mix a short film in Dolby Atmos! And I never in a million years thought I would be moving to California after graduating. It's been a crazy ride I never would've imagined when I was first accepted into Berklee.
Cindy Latin B.M. 19, M.A. 23 (Berklee NYC): Try anything that sounds cool. Even if it feels like something so far removed from everything you've learned so far in life, there's no better time to start, and sometimes you'll surprise yourself with how naturally inclined you can be towards new skill sets.
Slow Down . . . Taijee Shavers B.M. 23: Stop stressing; everything's going to be okay! My high school self was definitely a nervous wreck. . . . I would honestly just say that he's in the right place, and he's going to get everything that he's worked hard for. It'll all pay off in the end!
Rachel Pac
I would love to hear what she would say to me today and see where I'm at. I think she would be proud. Today, I would tell her that here is no rush, and to rest. Like many Berklee students, I'm really bad at slowing down and saying no. But I am learning to take my time and not feel like I have to do everything at once.
Bahar Badieitabar: Embrace patience and recognize that progress is not always linear. I would encourage myself to trust my efforts and find joy in the journey, rather than become overly fixated on the result.
. . . But Keep Going Joel Quatrocchi: Just keep going, keep trying. Things might not happen the way or at the time you anticipated. Just hold on a little longer, and do not give in.
Sim n Mart nez
Keep doing what you are doing! Youre on the right track and every step counts towards achieving your dreams. Believe in yourself because you can do whatever you set your mind to. Learn from each mistake and dont punish yourself for them; youre human and you are still growing. Play, write, create, and dont let anyone take away the light you carry within.
Tyesha Kohli: Its okay to lose yourself in the crowd at times when youre trying to learn and grow as a person. You will find your way, even if it takes a while. And its okay to mess up!
Also, Be . . . Psychic? Daniel Ramos B.M. 23: There will be an app known as TikTok in the future; post dancing videos there before anyone else does. You will thank me later.
Julia Perry B.M. 23: You don't need to mourn My Chemical Romance like that; they're gonna get back together.
Caio Miguel Jiacomini B.M. 23: During the FIFA World Cup 2014 semifinals, Brazil will lose to Germany 7-1. If you convince your parents to bet all of their savings on this result, you will likely be able to afford tuition without a sweat.
Related Categories
News
Student Spotlight
Most Popular
Goose guitarist and vocalist Rick Mitarotonda B.M. 16 performed with the band at a sold-out Portland, Maine, show on July 6, 2023.
Image by Adam Berta
Both Sides of Goose, Americas Premier Jam Band On a new Sounds of Berklee: Goose's live act attracts a devoted following-and the bands studio work highlights the sharp songs that spark their legendary jams.
Latest
Elena Pinderhughes
Image courtesy of the artist
Signature Series Presents the Elena Pinderhughes Berklee Septet Pinderhughes, an award-winning vocalist and flutist, will join Berklee students for a performance on October 11 at the Red Room at Cafe 939.
Boston Conservatory dancers on stage at the Crypto.com Arena
Joe Duarte
Boston Conservatory Dancers Open for K-Pop Stars at KCON Los Angeles With multiple sold-out performances, Conservatory dancers ride a wave of K-pop fandom.
Stella Rosa Named 2023 Jimmy Lyons Scholarship Recipient The 18-year-old trumpeter will perform at this year's Monterey Jazz Festival with Noa Zebley, who received the scholarship last year.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
30/08/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has adopted its FY 2025 Regulatory Fees Order that establishes the regulatory fee rates for the broadcast stati...
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
29/08/2025
L3Harris Technologies has concentrated decades of expertise across the entire enterprise to develop affordable and reliable best-of-breed solutions to rapidly c...
29/08/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network and the Pac-12 Conference have announced a new media rights deal that will extend their broadcast partnership beginning with the ...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK Gracenote has released a new analysis of its global video dataset showing that the number of FAST channels grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and 76% since 2...
29/08/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced a series of improvements to its live sports streaming solution that the company said will improve fan engagement, protec...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox Corp. and YouTube TV last night announced a renewal of the full portfolio of Fox networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business...
29/08/2025
Budapest, Hungary, August 2025 - The integration of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) with Lightware's Taurus universal matrix switchers delivers a new level of f...
29/08/2025
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's best-known streaming television channels, today announced it will launch Studio Live, a next-generation uni...
29/08/2025
In an era when AI and cyber resilience are essential, Scality will mark the 10th anniversary of Scality Day on October 16, 2025 in Paris. This flagship global e...
29/08/2025
Disguise's In-House Creative and Technical Teams Pre-Visualised, Programmed and Delivered Content for the Experience, All Powered by EX 3+
Technology solu...
29/08/2025
Disguise will be demonstrating the latest workflows for TV, film and live events on a number of partner booths at the show
Disguise, the industry-leading tech...
29/08/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning client...
29/08/2025
LOS ANGELES Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS A...
29/08/2025
DALLAS & ATLANTA Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television market...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK AND CULVER CITY Comcast NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced new and extended distribution agreements that will expand the content available on their...
29/08/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. RED Digital Cinema will feature its Cine-Broadcast Module supporting live broadcast workflows during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Ams...
29/08/2025
29 Aug 2025
Kyivstar Rings Opening Bell at Nasdaq Marking Landmark Listing and ...
29/08/2025
More than half of all NFL games live on Sky for the first timeFriday 29 August 2025
Sky Sports has announced a new three-year deal with the NFL, extending its ...
29/08/2025
Back to All News
RIV4LRIES: The Trailer of the New Series With Samuele Carrino ...
29/08/2025
Get ready for an inspiring and emotional insight into the world of competitive Irish dancing with My Story: Tomi Champion of the World airing on RT 2 this monda...
29/08/2025
RT has today announced that David McCullagh is to be the new presenter of RT Radio 1's flagship Today programme, which airs every weekday at 10am, replaci...
28/08/2025
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got ...
28/08/2025
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Sundance Institute-supported Amer...
28/08/2025
Corridos have been a cornerstone of M sica Mexicana for generations, telling stories rooted in everyday life. Now, a new chapter is taking shape: motivational c...
28/08/2025
Los corridos han sido un pilar de la M sica Mexicana durante generaciones, contando historias enraizadas en la vida cotidiana. Ahora, un nuevo cap tulo est tom...
28/08/2025
Earlier this month, we promised our Verano Forever party would bring the heat, a...
28/08/2025
L3Harris will provide the Polish F-16V fleet with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system as part of an upgrade program....
28/08/2025
Bilbao, August 26, 2025 - AgileTV, an international television and video technol...
28/08/2025
Ken Wilkinson is an Emmy Awards nominated New York audio engineer who specialises in production sound mixing for film, commercial, episodic and documentary work...
28/08/2025
NEW YORK FuboTV today announced that it will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny bundle that focuses on sports with a subscription price of $56 monthly....
28/08/2025
NEVADA City, Calif. At IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Telestream will debut its new Global Ingest strategy, introducing a next-generation ingest arc...
28/08/2025
Dr. Rhoda Bernard Releases Groundbreaking Debut Book on Accessible Arts Educatio...
28/08/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has named Oliver Gappa as Sales Di...
28/08/2025
AI-based voice enhancement will be among a series of innovations making their IBC 2025 debut on the DHD stand B46 in Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Cent...
28/08/2025
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), the leading system integrator and service provider in the media sector in Spain, with the support of Appear, the globa...
28/08/2025
To fully immerse sailing fans in the world's biggest offshore yacht race, production company, Optical Media turned to LiveU's On-site Production solutio...
28/08/2025
Working with Calrec on its most recent overhaul, radio and television broadcaster, WNED has migrated to a fully IP infrastructure with multiple Type R consoles,...
28/08/2025
Cleeng, the Subscriber Retention Management (SRM ) inventor, has unveiled Cleeng Pro, the first-ever direct-to-consumer (D2C) subscription management platform t...
28/08/2025
Zixi, the industry leader in live broadcast-quality video over IP, today announced that French media distribution platform OKAST has selected Zixi to enable rel...
28/08/2025
Solution offers a streamlined, speaker-free architecture to optimize integration with premium external loudspeakers and advanced loudness metering
Nixer Pro Au...
28/08/2025
Cinegy, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Vision One Touch Film Production Services L.L...
28/08/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will debut its new Global Ingest strategy at IBC2025, introducing a next-generation ingest architect...
28/08/2025
Tier 1 operator selects Broadpeak to power high-performance, unified CDN solution across Norway, Sweden and Finland
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and moneti...
28/08/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that 24 Frames Digital, one of India's leading live event streaming service providers, has chose...
28/08/2025
Meet VisualOn at IBC2025: See What's Next in AI-Powered Video Streaming Join VisualOn at IBC2025 and discover how our AI-driven Optimizer and advanced media...