1. By Luis Vazquez
Saudy Familia, 17, arrived to Washington Heights at the age
of seven from Esperanza, Dominican Republic. He followed in the
footsteps of family members, who were percussionists and pianists
in the music business, by pursuing an education focused on music.
“I wanted to be like them, I knew I had the talent in my blood, and
by learning music and getting opportunities through the WHEELS
program, I feel blessed.”
The Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School
(WHEELS) exposes students to teachers who are willing to go the extra
mile to give their students the tools they need to pursue their dreams.
One teacher in particular, who attended Berklee College of Music,
opened Saudy’s eyes to the possibilities of pursuing a secondary degree.
“He had a banner up for Berklee College. I was so young, but hear-
ing what Berklee had to offer made me want to go.” Saudy’s dedicated
teachers also helped him obtain instruments through grant funding.
They networked on his behalf and even found other teachers to
aid his growth.
Saudy has already placed himself in a position where he is
making a positive impact on fellow youths as well. In fact, Saudy is
currently working as a teaching assistant and his students see him
as a role model. “I give them time to learn, and I’m not mean about
it,” says Saudy. “I go with the flow.” The focus is to teach his craft to
children as he was taught—with patience and focus.
And that’s not all. Th s rising star has also been awarded a full
scholarship at Berklee where he will attend college next fall. Of the
strong programs the school has to offer, Saudy says,
“Four things that made it irresistible were the strong jazz
program, the music education program, which I am ma-
joring in, the Latin jazz program, and the good network-
ing [opportunities].” Saudy has always been focused on
this very path achievement. “I invested in myself knowing
I would get a great education and I want to teach others.”
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I invested in myself
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