From then on, I started producing music under the name wiindow and fell in love with it: DJ’ing at school and local events, collaborating with rappers through social media, releasing music online and performing at local festivals.

However, when it came time to apply for college, the reality of what being a professional musician entailed slowly started to sink in. Due to my parents’ concerns about me being able to have a stable career, I originally applied to Cal Poly as an engineering major. My first year was challenging because I wasn’t pursuing something I was truly passionate about. On the bright side, I was able to switch majors during the start of my second year and was still able to keep producing music throughout that year.

The Music Department has been my home at Cal Poly and gave me the resources I needed to grow as a musician and a person. The environment alone can be inspiring because you can hear and see other musicians in the practice rooms spending their energies preparing for their concert performances and keeping their personal goals in mind, regardless of how their practice sessions turn out.

In my first quarter at the department, I met other students who soon became musical partners. A few of us even started our own band, JASA, and we’ve performed at multiple events on and off campus, which deepened my skills as a performer.