Gateway Experience

Throughout my four years of high school, I was a member of the marching band as a trumpet player. The experience in leadership and team bonding that this program offered to me are timeless; I hold memories and lessons from my time in marching band closely. My freshman year, I learned how to better socialize myself with a large group of people, something I had great anxiety with doing beforehand. It is still a process that I work through, but marching band is a pinpoint activity that I recognize has broadened and shaped my social and interpersonal relationship skills. My sophomore and junior years were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic but marching band taught me lessons in perseverance and hard work nonetheless. I learned how to enjoy the little things and keep morale high within my section. My upperclassmen years I spent as a part of the leadership team. I learned my method of leadership and how to connect to others in such a way that not only improves themselves, but the team as a whole. Personability and genuine empathy were a few implementations I made sure to maintain in my leadership.