Strength Through Music by Amelia

Strength Through Music by Amelia - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

My biological mother has the blood of a stranger running through her veins. Her leukemia diagnosis took a lot away from me and my family, including her DNA. Of course, as you can expect, a cancer diagnosis is devastating for not only the victim, but the family. My dad left to take care of my mom, so with both of the parents at the hospital, I was left to take care of my sister. Being in 6th grade and pin-balling from one family friend's house to another was difficult. My parents always knew we were taken care of, but from my 11-year-old perspective, everything had fallen on my shoulders. Cancer took a lot away from my family; from me. But cancer also forced me to find a way to cope.
Music has always been prominent in my life, so I can’t pretend that it only started to matter to me when my mom started losing her hair during chemo. Music was always a comfort, but when I began to feel lost, music became a crutch. From treatment to treatment, my parents would call and fill me in on my mother's progress. I would play Micheal Jackson in my earbuds on good days; like any respectable 11-year-old would. On the infrequent occasion that I got to visit my mom, I would blast One Direction on the drive there. When she would unsteadily lurch to the bathroom to vomit, I would blast Led Zeppelin to drown out the noise. Music had always been prominent in my life, but I had never truly needed it before she got sick.
On the day of my mom's stem cell transplant, a music therapist came in and sang “Riptide” on the ukulele. Me and my family sat peacefully and listened to her play; watching as a stranger's stem cells saved my mother's life. I knew she would be strong again, and at that moment, I realized how strong I had become. I had watched my mother's light dim as she got sicker and sicker, I had held my father's hand when he cried to me about her anguish, and I had sung my little sister to sleep when she was afraid of the future. I had become what my family needed, and I realized that music had become what I needed. As the music therapist strummed a healing melody, I knew I wanted to impact music as much as it had impacted me.
As I got older, the struggles became more and more challenging to manage. I lived through my cousin's struggle with alcoholism, I dealt with the aftermath of my aunt's suicide attempt, and I had family members pass away unexpectedly; through it all, music was my solace. I began to compose music in my sophomore year of high school. I started with choral pieces, later transitioning to piano work, and eventually to strings. Each struggle became motivation; my troubled energy became my muse.
After facing rejection for an acting role, I wrestled for the spot of sound design for our theater's UIL show. It wasn’t long before my original compositions were playing during rehearsals, and when we competed that year, I won an award for my work. I strode up to receive my medal, and the audience responded with a standing ovation. That was the moment I knew what I was made for. I knew that my struggles would never leave me weak again.
Though I've had my pick of adversity, January 19th, 2025 was the worst day of my life. At 18 years old, I was told that my mother may not survive the night; her sepsis had become lethal. I spent a sleepless night in the ICU, but throughout it all I would stay by her side and sing to her. Her delirium was apparent; I just kept singing. Although chances were slim, by the morning we had hope that she would recover. A few days later, she miraculously did.
Music has guided me in many regards; not only has it shown me power, but it has also shown me my purpose, even in the darkest of times. Adversity is inevitable, but I have found my strength in music.
Music composition is a dream I'm excited to pursue. My love for the arts shows itself in many ways—acting, dancing, singing, photography, and much more. Ultimately, no matter the path I explore, I always find my way back to composition. I feel truly fortunate to combine this passion with another one of my favorites: theater. In an ideal world, I would spend my days creating musicals for playhouses, community theaters, or, ambitiously, even Broadway! To support my career, I plan to pursue an undergraduate degree in composition. My goal is to support music the way it supported me. Regardless of the occasion, I aspire to bring magic and strength into people's lives, the way it was brought into mine.