Our talented students and faculty have some incredible stories. Here they are to share them with you.
Huskie Spotlight: Katelyn Ackland, Music Education, Clarinet Performance
Katelyn Ackland, a senior majoring in music education and clarinet performance in the NIU School of Music is the subject of a Huskie Spotlight. Katelyn has earned multiple scholarships at NIU, and is appreciative of the support of her professors and fellow students....
Huskie Spotlight: Jayla Herring, Recording Arts and Media Technologies
Jayla Herring, a fall 2025 graduate of the School of Music with a degree in recording arts and media technologies is the subject of a Huskie Spotlight. Jayla says this major was a perfect fit, and the pursuit of an additional certificate increased the chances of...
Huskie Spotlight Lilliana Benitez, Music Education, Euphonium
Lilliana Benitez, a music education major with an instrumental emphasis in euphonium from McHenry, Illinois is the subject of an NIU Huskie Spotlight. A proud member of the Huskie Marching Band, she appreciates the mentorship of Dr. Tom Bough both on the field and in...
Joe Beribak, ’25, Composition
Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Joe Beribak, '25, CompositionWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? When I was a boy, I wanted to be a Catholic priest. When I grew a little older, I loved amusement parks and wanted to design roller-coasters. This...
Annika Roberts, ’23, Cello Performance and Psychology
Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Annika Roberts, '23, Cello Performance and PsychologyWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a musician because I come from a musical family. Pursing a degree in cello...
Paisley Stevens, ’24, Music Education
Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Paisley Stevens, '24, Music EducationWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? When I was growing up, I wanted to be a professional ballet dancer. I pursued ballet throughout high school and did get to chance with some...
Andrea LaFranzo, ’24, Orchestra Conducting
Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Andrea LaFranzo, '24, Orchestral ConductingWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? There was no doubt at the age of 13, after my first experience playing in a symphony orchestra, that I wanted to be a cellist and a...
Ethan Patterson, ’24, Recording Arts
Music Huskie SpotlightHuskie Spotlight: Ethan Patterson, '24, Recording ArtsWhat did you want to be when you were growing up? Growing up, I wanted to be a zookeeper... I always had a lot of pets and a passion for animals. In high school, I was passionate about the...
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.