“My journey to UC San Diego has truly shaped who I am. My childhood was marked by significant instability and was often turbulent and violent. As a result, I spent much of my formative high school years as a foster youth and eventually dropped out. After a decade developing my career as a chef, the restaurant where I worked closed. I saw this as an opportunity to change directions and return to school. I earned my GED and then enrolled in the commercial music program at San Diego City College. That experience solidified my passion for the field and led me to focus specifically on transferring to UC San Diego for the ICAM-Music program, which I was drawn to for its unique approach to music and technology. My decision to choose UC San Diego was primarily driven by the reputation of the computer music and music technology programs and their histories. I was attracted by the prestige of the faculty associated with this department and the amazing things that have come from it. Curren...