Biosketch
- Name: Janeza Ignacio
- College: College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
- Major: Sound Recording Technology
- Hometown: Concord, New Hampshire
- Favorite hobbies: Making music, hanging out with friends, and (poorly) playing tennis
- What is your favorite thing about UMass Lowell (UML)? I love the people at this school and the sense of community that I found here.
- What are your future goals? I want to be an audio engineer and eventually a teacher of the craft.
- What has having been involved with the RHSA meant to you? Being involved with RHSA has provided me with resources that I don’t think I would have found on my own.
- Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself in your first year of college? I would tell myself to not be afraid to ask for help. That is advice that I will continue to give myself beyond college. I would probably also tell myself to sleep more and not forget to drink water.
- What advice would you give fellow students? It is very easy to overwhelm yourself, especially when you enter a different subculture than you’re used to. Just remember that you belong here and that you’re capable of succeeding. Particularly if you’re a music student, remember that everyone enters university with different levels of experience. That doesn’t make you any less of a musician.
- Why did you choose to attend UMass Lowell? UMass Lowell has a notable Sound Recording Technology program that has shown positive results in their alumni. Not only that, but it happens to only be an hour away from my hometown and it gave me more scholarships that my in-state schools.
- What does it mean to you to be a first-generation college student? Being a first-gen college student means that I am putting in the work to lessen the pressure on those who follow me.
- What inspires you to want to help first-generation students in the RHSA? I remember how clueless I felt coming into college and how afraid I was about pursuing a degree in music. I want to reassure students in the fine arts that, while it may be difficult, they can do it.