Huskie Spotlight

Meet some of our great students and faculty.

Stefan Lenthe, ’24, Master of Music

Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Stefan Lenthe, '24, Master of MusicWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? I pretty much knew from an early age that I wanted to be a musician. For me it all goes back to very first time I heard The Beatles. I was...

Liam Weber, ’25, Music Performance and Music Education

Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Liam Weber, '25, Music Performance and Music EducationWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? By middle school I had already decided on becoming a music major. Originally I just wanted to be a middle school band...

Dartagnan Stephen, ’23, Master of Music

Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Dartagnan Stephen, '23, Master of MusicWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? I've always wanted to be a performer. As my goals became clearer and my musical techniques became more refined, I found my voice with the...

Imanol Ruiz, ’24, Music Education

Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Imanol Ruiz, '24, Music EducationWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? According to my mom when I was young, I wanted to be the blue Power Ranger but sadly NIU doesn’t offer that as a major. But I did want to be a...

Rashunda Dorset-Headley, ’23, Master of Music

Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Rashunda Dorset-Headley, '23, Master of MusicWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? Originally, I wanted to become a lawyer or a doctor, however, that quickly changed. At the age of six I knew I wanted to become a...

Jalen Charles, ’23, Master of Music

Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Jalen Charles, '25, Master of MusicWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? Growing up, I wanted to become a lawyer. At 12 years old, it changed to becoming a pilot but I am now on a different path as a musician.What is...

Anna Rockman, ’25, Music Performance

Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Anna Rockman, '25, Music PerformanceWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom. I would like to do this while also playing in a regional orchestra.What is your major (and/or...

Zaire Burks, ’25, B.A. in Music, Recording Arts

Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Zaire Burks, '25, B.A. in Music, Recording ArtsWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? Growing up I really didn’t have an idea on what I wanted to be. At first I thought I wanted to be an engineer and work with...

Nate Lin, ’24, Jazz Performance

Music Huskie Spotlight Huskie Spotlight: Nate Lin, '24, Jazz PerformanceWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a musician. What is your major (and/or minor) and why did you decide on this course of...

Abria Shaw, ’24, Music Education

Music Huskie Spotlight Huskie Spotlight: Abria Shaw, '24, Music EducationWhat is your major (and/or minor) and why did you decide on this course of study? I am majoring in Music Education with a vocal emphasis and Vocal Performance. I decided to major in Music...

Jonathon Kurecki, ’24, Music Education

Music Huskie Spotlight Huskie Spotlight: Jonathon Kurecki, '24, Music EducationWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? I had an incredible fascination with astronomy and severe weather growing up and expected I may go into astronomy or meteorology. As it...

Chih-I Hsiao, ’24, Master of Music

Music Huskie Spotlight Huskie Spotlight: Chih-I Hsiao, '24, Master of MusicWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? I wanted to be an erhu (Chinese two-string fiddle) player and a Chinese orchestra conductor when I was in junior high school. I started to...