I’ve always had a strong mindset and a never give up attitude. I believe that if you have a burning desire for something, you can achieve anything.

I started playing piano when I was eight years old and dedicated a huge part of my childhood to the piano. My friends came and knocked on my door every day after school: “Let’s go play outside.” My response always was: “I can’t. I have to practice piano. I’ll come out when I’m done.” This 1 hour of practice became 2, and 3, and 4, until the door knocks became less and less. My friends got the hint that I was more dedicated to my piano than playing with them.

I sacrificed so much, but I have zero regrets. I became a very good pianist and performed many times in front of big audiences at my school and hometown. At one point in my life, I played piano between 6-8 hours per day. 

I went to a regular high school that specializes in music. I had to take all the general classes every school offers, but our main subject was learning music. We had long days and hours of learning music theory and music history. Twice a week I had to go to my piano teacher and focus on my technique along with learning different pieces. My sister and I were the best in our class, because we put in the most effort.