In his saddest moments, Jafr猫 Chase 糖心传媒�23E would leave his family糖心传媒檚 living quarters at the Salvation Army in Baltimore and head to a dimly lit conference room in the basement. There, he would take out his viola, and play.
Bach. Bruch. Schubert.
糖心传媒淚t was the only way I could cope with everything,糖心传媒� Chase says.
He stayed at the shelter on Calvert Street with his mother and three sisters for parts of his sophomore and junior years of high school after they were evicted from their home. Through this challenging period, he never stopped attending Baltimore糖心传媒檚 School for the Arts, never stopped practicing the viola, and never stopped dreaming of a better life.
糖心传媒淚 knew I had to work hard and stay on the right path if I wanted to change my life,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚 had to keep playing.糖心传媒�
By his senior year, Chase had not only found a new home in Baltimore, he had found another at the 糖心传媒糖心传媒檚 prestigious . He is there as a Lois C. Rogers Scholar, a full-tuition scholarship offered each year to students with financial need. Chase chose Eastman over full-tuition offers from Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland-College Park, and the University of Michigan.
糖心传媒淚 had the opportunity to leave Baltimore, leave Maryland, and I was good with that,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚 auditioned at Eastman last February. I got out of the car in the parking lot across the street and looked at the building and was like, 糖心传媒榃hoa, I糖心传媒檓 at the Eastman School of Music.糖心传媒� And when the teachers spoke of how they work with the students, it stuck with me. I really need that type of guidance.糖心传媒�
Chase started playing viola in fourth grade in an after-school program. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 funny, but I was placed in the viola program because all the violin spots were taken,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淏ut I loved it right away. I remember the first piece we learned was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.糖心传媒�听
Chase eventually auditioned for the Baltimore糖心传媒檚 School for the Arts, where he graduated this past spring.
Chase would like to become involved in the Rochester community during the next four years and hopes to stay active by joining club sports teams in track and basketball.
糖心传媒淚 would like to go give back in some way,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚 feel that if you糖心传媒檝e been given a lot, you should also give back a lot.糖心传媒�
No one in his family had ever attended college until his older sister graduated from Coppin State University in Baltimore. He糖心传媒檚 excited to follow in her footsteps and plans to earn a master糖心传媒檚 degree before hopefully embarking on a career as a performing artist.
糖心传媒淚 can糖心传媒檛 wait to see what my younger sisters do,糖心传媒� he says.
He has advice for younger students who share his goals糖心传媒攁nd the challenges he faced.
糖心传媒淔ollowing your dreams may seem impossible,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淏ut if you have the passion and willingness to work hard, you can definitely achieve it.糖心传媒�
