Oregon Ambassadors of Music Tour - Juliana G

Hello!

I'm Juliana Geppert! I'm a college freshman who graduated high school in the class of 2021. Scary, right? The last two years have been a rollercoaster for everyone, and schools have done their best to abide by COVID-19 regulations to keep their students and staff safe and healthy. For that I am truly thankful. Unfortunately, this did result in a lot of my junior and senior activities being cancelled.

There was a lot I missed out on over the course of the pandemic, and regardless of how thankful I am for my safety being the number one priority for the school board, I'll always be sad for the opportunities I missed. If there's nothing else that this pandemic has taught me, it's that the easiest way to proceed is by looking forward to the journey ahead of me.

Every other year or so, Oregon Ambassadors of Music (OAM) conducts a nomination process to bring together about 350 band and choir students from high schools across the state for a two-week European concert tour . Students put in hard work to learn music together during a three day camp at Oregon State University's campus prior to the trip, then travel across the world to Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland to perform. A lot of time and planning is put into arranging such a trip, and due to the very same COVID restrictions that cancelled my junior and senior activities, OAM's 2021 tour was also cancelled.

This year, OAM has elected to allow seniors from the class of 2021 to join them on this trip . It's thanks to a nomination from my high school choir director, Melissa Albert, that I am able to accompany my fellow performers to Europe! It's a wonderful opportunity that I am every ounce grateful for, and I can't express enough how thankful I am to have a chance like this.

I have plenty of planning ahead of me to be fully prepared, while still attending classes full-time at MHCC to accommodate a free summer term for the trip. That's why I'm reaching out to the community. If enough people would be willing to contribute, I could lessen the weight of the costs on my family, who are doing as much as they can to support me and send me on this journey while I focus on my education. It doesn't have to be much - every little bit counts.

A trip like this isn't cheap. In order to go on the tour, I'll need to raise a total of $7,250 before May 15th, 2022. This will cover the costs of meals, lodging, transportation, sightseeing, and other such expenses. Some of this money has already been raised, such as the initial tour deposit, uniform, passport fees, and choir camp tuition. The rest of the cost will need to be paid to the travel agency partnered with OAM for the trip by their set deadlines.

For more information on the tour and the opportunities I'll have, you can visit www.oregonambassadors.com and view the travel itinerary. There's also information about the Bon Voyage concert that will be held just before we leave for the trip, which will be at 7pm on July 4th at the Oregon State University campus. If you'd like to see me perform, that would be the best place to do so!

As a performer at heart, this trip means the world to me, and I'm looking forward to expanding my perspective as I explore new horizons. Your help means so much, and I cannot thank you enough.