# @harvard on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/BjBFhkWnQNz
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/21654177-harvard-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/85822e2d23.jpg
- **Posted:** 2018-05-20T23:02:33.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Harvard University (@harvard) — https://gondola.cc/harvard

## Caption

Jeniris González-Alverio was a teenager when she first thought about music therapy: She noticed while singing lullabies to a baby cousin that the sound of her voice calmed him.⠀
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A natural singer and musician from an early age, she can play at least 10 instruments, including piano, guitar, ukulele, drums, bass guitar, flute, and piccolo. She's also fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, and American Sign Language. ⠀
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González-Alverio spent several years singing and playing with touring bands across Puerto Rico to save money for college. She first attended the University of Puerto Rico, then transferred to Berklee College of Music, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2013 with a degree in music therapy and psychology.⠀
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After graduation, González-Alverio worked as a music therapist at Boston’s Community Music Center and Massachusetts General Hospital’s pediatric unit. She then moved to Orlando, where she spent two years running her own practice. ⠀
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When González-Alverio decided she wanted to teach music therapy, she knew she would need a graduate degree. On a lark, she applied to the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was accepted. ⠀
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In January, González-Alverio joined Beth Israel Hospital’s NICU as a music therapist working with premature infants. She envisions doing this work full time, and hopes to teach music therapy in the unit.⠀
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“The work I try to do is because of where my heart is,” González-Alverio said. “It’s not entertainment.”⠀
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This is part of a series showcasing some of Harvard’s stellar graduates leading into our #Harvard18 Commencement.⠀
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Photo: Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

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## Tags

harvard18

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