A Personal Account on Passion: A Tool for Academic Success

As a student, there is nothing better than getting to study what you’re most passionate about. It’s not always easy, but it’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced. Looking back on my studies, I’ve recently come to realize just how important passion is, whether it be in your personal life, your studies, or even your career.

When I was in high school, I dedicated almost all of my time to music: listening to it, playing it, and most of the time, singing it. I went to a rather unique school in Rochester called School of the Arts, where I was a vocal music major. At the same time, I also went to Eastman School of Music as part of a scholarship program, where I studied vocal performance, music history, and music theory. So I was a musician, through and through, and I studied hard to get there. But, as my senior year came to a close, I started to get nervous. More and more people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I couldn’t shake this image of my future self, singing her heart out but living in her parent’s basement. In the end, I made the decision to leave singing behind, at least in the academic sense. Instead of wasting more time singing arias and show tunes, I decided that I was going to study something a little more… secure. Something more practical. And in my mind, being a singer just wasn’t practical. So I made my decision, and packed away my sheet music with my high school diploma.

Now, that was two years ago, and I’ve learned a lot since then. I spent my freshman year in New York City, on the lower east side of Manhattan. It was an amazing opportunity, but for some reason, I still felt unsatisfied. So, I came back home for a while. My dad owns a restaurant in Rochester, where he taught me the value of hard work. I was incredibly lucky: I got to spend time with my family, learn some new skills, and make some money in the process. But I still wasn’t happy. And it took me a little while to realize why. I accomplished a lot, but the one thing I didn’t do was make music.

I realized that something was missing. I had thought that if I used my brain well enough, I could ignore what my heart wanted. But human beings don’t really work like that. I needed to fuel my core with that passion that I missed so much, something that everyone needs to feel fulfilled. So I knew that whatever I did next, somehow I had to get back into singing again, or I was probably going to go crazy. But the question was still there: how was I going to make music work for me and not against me? What else am I even good at? How am I going to do this?

And so, after much contemplation, and a lot of long inner monologues and sweating and staring at my bank account balance, I came to Geneseo as a Communications major. And I’m very thankful that I made that choice. Even in the short time that I have been here, I’m starting to find the answer to that question of “how is this going to work.” I’ve changed how I look at things, how I look at myself. And now, I don’t identify myself as just a singer. Music has been so important to who I am and the decisions I’ve made, whether I knew it or not, and it is an important part of me; but that’s not all I am. I don’t have to become famous to let music positively influence my life, but I also don’t have to leave it all behind to be successful. I’ve joined vocal groups on campus, I make music with my friends. I let it surround me in other ways, instead of in a classroom. And what is singing but another form of communications anyways? Music isn’t necessarily my primary focus anymore, but it’s seeped into almost every corner of my life, keeping me afloat. Keeping me happy. All that time I spent when I was younger studying the music I was passionate about, wasn’t a waste at all. I’ve learned how to use it as a tool to help me succeed in all my other endeavors. And passion is the most useful tool you can ever have.