“Survive. Endure. Please your headmasters and do what you must to keep yourself alive.” At least that is what I told myself to endure my days in the Singaporean Boarding School. “Mom is currently far away; you have to make it on your own.” But who was my mother? The monotony of school from 9 am to 9 pm allowed me to reflect on my nine short years in life and realize that I did not even know who my parents were. My only impression of them was their stereotypical “Asian A+ Expectation” of me. Eight years of parental pressure led to four more years of Catholic boarding school when I moved to Singapore at the age of nine.

In my past, there was no room for feelings or emotions, or even just simply being myself. I was in a blind world, under the expectation that children are school machines that are demanded to perform flawlessly under intense pressure. However, when I later transferred to a public school at thirteen, I suddenly had free time and no idea what to do with myself. I began to discover how life was outside of an educational factory. For the first time, I was able to connect with others. This was my first step towards a vision and passion for pursuing music.

I began to absorb music like a sponge and thanks to one song, Purple Rain by Prince, I opened up to deeper emotional connections and attachments for the first time. In one fell swoop, I understood the power of music. Finally a breakthrough from the closed-minded, deaf, “only business leads to success” mindset my parents had planned for me. The irony was that, because of not knowing my parents, I did not even know who I was. I fabricated a wall of confidence and composure to prevent people from finding out that I felt very broken inside. If anyone criticized me, it was for the character I had manufactured, not me. However, making the connection to music and playing of instruments enabled me to look around and see that, like me, people around me were not as put together as I thought they were. Taking a step back from everything I had known, I discovered a desire to right the wrongs around me. I was shocked, as I had been determined never to let people get too close to me.

Over the next four years, my worldview shifted as I listened to songs from India, China, Europe, and the US, looking for ways to help others through creating motivational lyrics. Life was no longer about my survival, or my childhood that I felt had been taken from me, but about people who had had much more stolen from them. I learned from the lyrics of songs from around the world that people overcome hardship best when walked through by someone who shared in difficulty.

Moving to Seattle exposed me to the pain and injustice that people experience. Through my church and an NGO at which I volunteer, I listened to the stories about the inhumane treatment of human trafficking survivors. I also witnessed racism and prejudice against underprivileged individuals. I researched and heard stories from homeless LGBTQ youth who had been disowned because of their sexual orientation. Worst of all, I learned that this cruelty occurs everywhere, and hardly anyone is aware of it. These experiences developed my earlier desire to help and serve others into a passion. Additionally, my HTC  leadership program experience at Shoreline Community College taught me how to use all of my knowledge, my multi-cultural background, and my abilities to connect with other people through music to help nontraditional students overcome their difficulties and succeed.

My childhood experiences, the injustices against me, my skills and abilities promoted my desire to practice music. My interactions with helping people in need, and my passion for music all intersect in the dream to express my creativity through music for a two-fold purpose: first, to raise awareness of these everyday conflicts through my multi-cultural worldview; second, to connect to both victims and perpetrators and to give them a way out. Music has changed my life and helped me find what I want to do. Most of the hurt I have witnessed is from people who either do not know what they are doing in life or who are convinced of their hurtful way to navigate life. I want to use music to connect with victims and give them creative outlets to express themselves, and also to communicate with perpetrators and show them more positive alternatives for a living.

I realize that to pursue my passion for music and help others on such a broad level; I need the opportunity to learn from experts who live and breathe in multi-cultural musical fields. The University of Washington and Seattle provide some of the best musical possibilities, and connections in the U.S.  I believe the strong international presence at the UW to be the perfect environment for me to develop into the person I want to be. I know that at UW, I could challenge myself into becoming not only a great singer but also a man who can give life to others through music.

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