Giving Thanks: Scholarship Helps Music Education Major Reach Dream of Becoming a Music Therapist

This December, members of our Fulbright College Family are sharing expressions of gratitude, letters of thanks and their appreciation for those who have helped make their educational journey possible. 

Meet Grace Flener, who thanks to the Razorback Band Alumni Society Clay Edwards Scholarship, is one step closer to her dream of becoming a music therapist and working in a children’s hospital.

Razorback Band Alumni Society Clay Edwards Scholarship

Name: Grace Flener
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Graduation: 2028
Major(s)/Minor(s): Majoring in Music

Activities and Interests: Razorback Marching Band and Drumline, Pi Beta Phi, Fellowship Bible Church

Career Aspirations: I am wanting to continue in my bachelor’s degree and then continue on to earn a master’s degree in music therapy. I would love to work in a children’s hospital doing music therapy there.

In her own words:

Dear Mrs. Edwards,

I am sincerely grateful for your contribution toward my education. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dream of helping people using the gift of music. I truly believe that music makes the world a better place.

I am currently going into my second year of my undergrad at the U of A, coming from Kansas City, Missouri. I am currently a music major, and love music as both a career and a hobby.

I have been playing percussion for nine years now, and I am continuously loving to grow and challenge myself in new ways. I have always loved singing and playing piano, and have begun learning how to play guitar.

Once I am done with school here, I plan to transfer somewhere to pursue a master’s degree in music therapy. Using that, I want to work in a children’s hospital as a music therapist and ease children’s and families’ burdens as they are challenged in a hospital.

This scholarship allows me to come to school at the U of A. Without your generosity, I don’t think that it would be possible for me to attend school here in Fayetteville, and I am truly grateful beyond words.

It has allowed me the chance to take a break from work during my freshman year, allowing me to get plugged into my activities without the burden of a part-time job as well.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. You are changing the lives of students who are going on to do amazing things in the real world, and it would not be possible without people like you.

Thank you once again!

Sincerely,

Grace Flener

For more information about the Razorback Band Alumni Society Clay Edwards Scholarship or to make a gift to support the college’s students, faculty, or staff, please contact Fulbright College’s Office of Development and External Relations at 479-575-3712 or fulbright@uark.edu.