Meet Karla—alumna, mom, student, and future nonprofit founder
Even talking over Zoom, you can feel Karla's passion. She just got home from working one of her two part- time jobs, and she's already strategizing an evening of piano homework from Los Angeles City College. Her daughter, 4, chirps happily just off screen. School, work, dreams, family, the future—she has a rare, deep energy for all of it.
Karla and her sister Jennifer were part of Harmony Project almost since the beginning. From 2004 to 2011, she studied and played violin, often in unforgettable venues like the Luxe Hotel and the Forest Lawn Cemetery. And she was present when we received the Coming Up Taller Award from Michelle Obama at the White House in 2009, even attending a masterclass with violinist and conductor Joshua Bell while she was in D.C. She loved performing and came alive onstage and when mentoring younger students.
Then life happened. She graduated from high school, tried college, left school for a while, got married, had a baby, separated, and threw herself into supporting her family. It was while working one of her jobs as a housekeeper that her boss asked her bluntly "You're young, what's next for you?" The abrupt question got her thinking about the magic she felt with music. It had been five years since she had picked up a violin, and she still remembered the thrill of playing and connecting with other musicians. She also recalled the words of one of her high school teachers when they told her "The reason I teach is because of people like you. You pour your soul into it."
She had rediscovered her "what's next”.
Karla went back to school for music, earning straight As despite her busy schedule and quickly become a positive figure among her peers. She's looking forward to applying to four-year universities in the upcoming months to earn her bachelor's in music education. And after that? "I want to start a music nonprofit too, somewhere where those services don't exist. Harmony Project has given me many opportunities and I want to create that for kids, too."
We can't wait to see where that passion takes her.