Since grade school, I have been playing the trombone, and never would 10 year old me have guessed that I would be playing with the trombones at a BIG10 University in front of hundreds of thousands of people across all the games I have participated in.

Not only was I a member of the Marching Illini, but I had the privilege of leading the trombones as their Marching Section Leader. I was chosen for this role by my Director, Barry Houser, and the votes of the members of the trombone section. In my role, I lead 40+ trombonists, teaching them the fundamentals of marching and training them throughout the year. I was also in charge of making critical decisions when faced with predicament, sometimes making game-time decisions on the field.

I couldn’t be more grateful for this role because it gave me the opportunity to travel. In the four years I was a part of this band, the Illinois football team traveled to three bowls: the Reliaquest Bowl, the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, and the Music City Bowl. In March 2026, we traveled to Ireland to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin. That was one of the coolest experiences of my life, and I will forever be grateful for all the opportunity the Marching Illini has provided me.

Since freshman year, I have taken on gardening as one of my hobbies. Over the last few seasons, I have grown various peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and an array of herbs, of which I went on to share the literal fruits of my labor with my family. I have done this with one premade herb garden bed, and two disassemblable plant beds I designed and built myself with reclaimed wood. I also make my own pickles. I think that is a whole other hobby in itself.