When I found out that I got into Berklee College of Music, I was so thrilled that I was going to be attending my dream school for the next four years of my life. But once the excitement wore off, reality started to set in, and so did my anxieties about the future. All throughout high school I had struggled with organization and time management, which often made it difficult to achieve the goals I set for myself. I was also anxious about not having enough of an idea of what I wanted to do within music, and the last thing I wanted to do was waste four years and a college tuition on searching for a major. College used to feel so far in the distant future, but there I was, a second semester senior, not yet ready to go out into the world on my own with complete independence and no safety net. So given my feelings of uncertainty and unpreparedness, I decided the best next step for me was to take a gap year. I wanted to take time to really strengthen my weaknesses and find more direction by going out into the real world. I needed to use my time off the best I could, especially when the pandemic hit. Finding a gap year program became extremely difficult due to all of the shutdowns, and when researching the ones that were operating, that is when I discovered Dynamy.

Dynamy has everything I was looking for in a gap year program, for it has given me the ability to work as an intern at various small businesses and gain real world experience within the workforce. Dynamy has allowed me to learn how to live independently and still have support, which has allowed me to make mistakes and struggle, but still have an advisor to help me problem solve. Navigating a work environment has shown me how to communicate with my colleagues and sponsors in a professional manner. Through trial and error, I have discovered where my strengths and weaknesses lie within a workplace, which has helped me further narrow down the possibilities of what to study in college. Sharing an apartment with peers has taught me a lot about living independently, for it has given me a taste of what it is like to “adult”, and all the responsibilities that come with it. We are expected to be responsible for things such as buying and planning meals, maintaining a budget, and balancing our work and social lives, which has forced me to be self sufficient and hold myself personally accountable. Although I have had my fair share of missteps and hard times here, I have always felt supported by my advisor and the Dynamy staff, giving me the guidance I need to get myself back on track.

As my first semester at Dynamy concludes, I have seen so much growth in myself. My time management and organization skills have improved drastically, and my experiences at my internship has given me more confidence in my ability to execute and deliver my best work. I have made friends with people who come from all different walks of life and have established meaningful connections with the Dynamy staff. Coming into Dynamy, I felt so unprepared and unsure, anxious about what the future held for me in college. But after the short amount of time I have spent here, I feel more prepared than ever to create my own future.