Immaculata was not my first choice from the start. The beginning of my senior year I was determined to get all my college applications in by December 1st for early admission. In the middle of November, I took twenty minutes and applied to IU because of my interest in the Music Therapy program. That application was the beginning of my journey to Immaculata, and I have seen God guiding my path and choices every step of the way.

I started off high school wanting to go to school for music and I was really interested in the idea of music therapy. After a couple years of practicing and learning new pieces for auditions I decided to throw in the towel in pursuit of an education degree. School has always been my strong suit and I could definitely see myself teaching high school age kids Theology or English. Then I started thinking I wanted to be a counselor, then a marriage counselor, then a clinical psychologist and all the while I was getting back into my music. So it seemed like the perfect fit to go back to my original dream of music therapy. That is why I applied to Immaculata.

Immaculata is one of the only schools that offers music therapy as a major and it was the sole reason why I applied. IU was not on my radar for a prospective school and it was not until after my application was submitted that I started exploring all the other things the school had to offer. The history, size, campus, and location were all attractive selling points. The price left something to be desired; it is quite expensive to attend IU full time. However, I submitted the application anyway and then proceeded to brush off a few old pieces for my audition in February with the attitude of: if I make it, I make it; if I don’t, I don’t.

I was very nervous for my audition. When I sat outside waiting, I actually stopped the girl that came out and asked her about what to expect, and I did not even understand her answers. That was not very comforting, but nonetheless, when I walked into that room I felt like I was in control and it would be okay. It was totally a Holy Spirit moment. I sat down to play my pieces, playing as beautifully as I could and I was so proud to not make even one mistake.

The rest of the audition went pretty smoothly and I walked out feeling very confident. That same day when I came home from my audition there was a letter waiting for me from Immaculata. I had already gotten accepted months before, and this letter was telling me that I was nominated for the full tuition, Presidential Scholarship! I was amazed! There was an essay and an interview. I immediately sat down to write my paper and then sent it to all my teachers and people I trusted and they sent me their feedback. The interview was scheduled for the next week. At the interview I was very calm and acted like myself. I felt really great when I walked out of that interview.

A couple weeks after I received a letter from the Music Department with my acceptance to the Music program, and I had been awarded the highest music department scholarship to boot! I was not even sure that I was going to get in, so this was a huge encouragement for me. A month later, a few days before my birthday, my dad handed me a letter from Immaculata. I looked at it for a while before opening it, anxious about what the content would be. When I opened it and saw the word, “Congratulations,” along with the first sentence I didn’t even bother reading the rest. I knew I had been awarded the Presidential Scholarship.

I can tell you that I’ve never felt more proud, happy and excited than at that moment. Calling my mom at work and telling her and having her burst into tears and having my dad say, “I didn’t doubt for a minute that you would get it” was indescribable. All the support and happiness of the people around me propelled me even more towards this new beginning.

I can’t begin to explain how much I’ve felt God’s hand in all of this. I applied to IU on a whim in pursuit of a major that I didn’t even know I qualified for. Then came the full tuition scholarship and I felt as though IU understood what kind of person I was and how I would benefit the community. The fact that I wasn’t nervous for my audition or my interview was proof enough of the power of God. He must really want me here for some reason because everything fell into place with a precision only He could manage. I feel so blessed for having been given so much, and with these signs from God, I know that he is watching over me and leading me towards even greater things.