Naomi

Naomi knew at a young age that she loved to sing, and when she joined the choir at River Hill High School she discovered her future career. “I just loved it,” she said. “My choir teacher really influenced me and I decided that I wanted to be like her.”

After graduating high school, Naomi enrolled at HCC to study vocal performance and music education. “I didn't feel quite ready to go off to a four-year college, and I felt like I needed to do a lot of preparation to be able to audition for a four year program,” she said.

At HCC, she found the education and support she needed to pursue her dream of teaching music in secondary schools. “I felt that my music teachers really loved what they were doing, and they cared about students,” she said. She also tried her hand at musical theatre, performing in Arts Collective’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Naomi was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honors society and was selected to sing the National Anthem at the college’s Commencement ceremony in May 2017.

This fall, she headed to Hofstra University to study vocal music education and pursue her dream of being a voice teacher. Her advice for new high school graduates is to take their time and build skills before choosing a four year-college. “Don't get in over your head,” she said. “Just take things slow. There's no rush.”