Coach
2012-2016 I was a synchronized swimming coach for San Dieguito Synchro’s novice level swimmers. I taught 6-13 year olds the core movements of the sport, and helped them grow into becoming a team. I would lead them in stretching, teach them their choreography, assign them workouts, and accompany them to competitions.
As a coach, I learned how to become a fun but authoritative leader. When the girls would goof off, I would make sure to be firm, but not become strict enough for them to listen to me because they were afraid of me, rather that they respected me.
Student Band Council President
My senior year of high school, my band voted me to become President. In this role, I had to first recruit the rest of the council, assign them roles, and then organize weekly meetings and topics to talk about. I was also the liaison to the parent band council. I would attend their meetings to present what the student council had been discussing. As the student band council president, I was often in charge of the entire band when our director was out of town and we had a sub instead. I would organize the class schedule, rehearse them, and basically take the place of our director. As the president, I also ran a fundraising booth at all school events and concerts.
As band council president, I also made sure to constantly network with other high school bands. I wanted to set up a joint band “jam session” where the high schools would rehearse songs together. I saw it as an opportunity for my band to rehearse with a band better than us, as something exciting and inspiring. Because of the connections I set up for my director, the joint rehearsals were able to happen the year after I graduated, and I got lots of feedback that my classmates wanted to practice a lot more after meeting the other musicians.
Principle horn for Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra
I joined Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra my first year of high school as assistant principal. After my first performance with them, the conductor appointed me as principle horn. I stayed in the principle horn position until I graduated high school. The MMYO horn section started out as just 2 horns, and my 4 years there I made sure the horn section was full for every single concert. As principle horn, I organized monthly sectionals, and made sure the rest of the horn section was on time to rehearsals and sounding good.
As principal horn I also had the opportunity to perform side by side with professional horn players, where I learned even more leadership skills by playing with them.