08.13.2014

Leroy’s Goal: To Be a Husky Band Member

By Leroy J. Rowe, Treehouse student

My name is Leroy J. Rowe and I am 15 years of age. This year, I am going to be a Junior at Renton High School.

I was in the foster care system for four years and then adopted at the age of 12. Before I was in care, I had never been to school before. At first I had a hard time fitting in with the other kids, got in fights a lot, and ended up having to change schools. In 6th grade, Treehouse helped me to start getting involved in school activities that would help me get to know other kids. I had loved bands ever since I started playing the saxophone, so that ended up being one of my favorite activities.

Leroy, Husky Band

This past school year, I met with Treehouse Education Specialist, Ms. Tajiana, once a week about setting my academic and personal goals. We used worksheets to help organize how I was going to accomplish the goal that I set. My academic goal was to attain a 3.5 GPA because I want to attend the University of Washington. What made me want to really go to the University of Washington is the Husky Band. Since I had gotten involved in band in middle school, I had an opportunity to practice with the UW Drum line, and I liked how friendly the section leaders were and the sound of the drums.

This year Ms. Taji helped me improve my GPA to a 3.2 by doing things like setting a bed time and studying a certain amount of time every day. I was also named the Drum Major for Renton High School as a sophomore which is rare and a huge achievement for me. Last summer and this summer I got to attend the UW Drum Major/ Drumline Academy through Little Wishes to learn all about drum major instinct and attitude. I had a very fun experience because I was able to meet a diverse group of people who shared the same passion as mine. One thing that I enjoyed in particular, was how easily I made friends and connections with new people.

This year I will continue to work towards my UW goal with Ms. Taji. Words could never explain how happy I would be to receive my acceptance letter. I would feel accomplished beyond words to be able to achieve a goal that I set years ago. Being in the Husky Band will be an especially big deal because I have been surrounded by the Husky Band Director, Brad McDavid, and around many UW students and alumni for the past years including Ms. Taji, and my band teacher. I’m so looking forward to being a UW student in 2016!