How old were you when you started composing?
I'm not entirely sure when I first started composing, but the first piece I wrote down was when I was seven years old.

What do you love most about composing music?
The thing that I love most about composing music is being able to express my feelings without needing the words to do so. I am able to play loud or soft or staccato or legato in a way that expresses my feelings, sometimes even better than the lyrics of the song can.

Tell us a little about how the poetry influenced your IYWCC composition.
The poem Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost influenced my composition because I loved the simplicity of the poem and how it starts hopeful, even happy, but turns to a melancholy hopelessness in only eight lines. It transfers seamlessly between these emotion with the lines "Her early leaf's a flower; but only so an hour."

What was your process/approach to composing your piece for IYWCC?
I have never written a song from lyrics first, so I didn't really know where to start. I decided, even before starting the actual note-picking process, that I would section the poem into two parts. One part that felt like it should be more upbeat and the other, sad. I then decided to pick a key. I realized I liked changing from major to minor chords as the words shift from hopeful to hopelessness. After that, I started writing and editing a melody, followed by the intro, outro, and interlude.

What is your advice to someone who is interested in composing a piece but does not know where to start?
To anyone who would like to start composing but doesn't know where to start, I would say to first pick out the emotion you want listeners to feel when they're listening to it. Next, I like to record myself improvising with that emotion in mind. Then I edit to perfection. Remember, sometimes the simplest things are the most beautiful. So don't over complicate it.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
When I was about six years old, I started dancing ballet folklórico. Ballet folklórico is a traditional dance from Mexico that typically tells a story through music, colorful costumes, and movement. The dances include fast footwork, spins with huge skirts, and gritos (shouts). As a Mexican-American, dancing ballet folklórico keeps me connected to my Mexican heritage.