As an aspiring film scorer, I see it as my duty to not only be aware of culturally diverse styles of music, but to be able to appreciate them. Even before I decided that this was the career I wanted to pursue, I always liked a variety of genres from many different places. Actually, all I knew was that I wanted to be a musician and film scoring seemed the perfect hugely in part because I don't really have a favorite kind of music. To me, if it's good, I like it and if I like it, it's good. Music  is music, regardless of its origin.

          I did, however, grow up in New York. With my area being so diverse, exposure to foreign music was inevitable. When I was in the third grade, I had to do a project in which I represented where I'm from. I went home, talked to my mother, and figured I would do something with Trinidad because that's where my father and his entire family have immigrated from. My mother then suggested that I do something with Puerto Rico. That was the day I found out that I'm Puerto Rican. All I knew was that my Grandpa was a dark-skinned man who knew how to speak Spanish. I was completely unaware that he and his family were from Puerto Rico. Later that same year, my school had a multicultural show, giving me the opportunity to get in touch with my roots because my teacher choreographed an entire bachata/merengue performance for us to do. It turned out that I was really good at it. I learned the basics and everything else seemed to just come naturally. It was like the music took hold of me and didn't let go. It still hasn't, either. I was the co-choreographer for a quincenera which turned out wonderfully a couple of years ago and I dive into any opportunity that this typically unknown talent of mine provides me.

          Another foreign music that intrigues me is Japanese. I was introduced to anime, Japanese cartoons, at a very young age because my brothers always watched it. There is a specific theme song that always got stuck in my head though. The opening to Ouron Highschool Host Club is just so cute and catchy to me. I've memorized most of it and I don't even know what I'm saying. I do have an idea, at least, because there's an English version which doesn't sound anywhere near as good. You know when a relatively new music artist takes an original song, redoes it, and it just makes you resent it and want to hear the real one? That is exactly what it is like hearing the English version. After falling in love with the show's opening and entire series, I eventually looked up the artist and found that I like some of her other stuff, too.

          Moving to South Carolina was a really exciting event for me. Even though there are things about me which, as my friends say, "scream New York," I've always felt like I'd be more comfortable in a small town and that's exactly what being at Converse feels like. As much as I like it, I do miss the diverse culture, music, and dance from my home town.