It was my first day at college and I was so lost to where I was going. I currently go to Stockton University, which has an undergraduate enrollment of 7,539, a liberal arts-woodsy-environmentally-friendly school. And yes, I’m super happy to go here, even though I have my heart in different places around the country too. As all freshman, the first couple days can be difficult, finding out what clubs/organizations to join, where your classes are, and meeting friends. For me, I was trying to find out a music “club” to join, preferably a lot of people like myself that were passionate about music. Thankfully, fate had a different plan for me; kind of.

So I asked a couple people around campus if there was a club for this and where I should go. No one gave me a specific answer, but someone had pointed me in the direction of the room of our college radio station. On the door, there was a sign that said something along the lines of a meeting later in the week. I didn’t really know what exactly the meeting was going to be about, but I thought I should just go in hopes to meeting people like myself.

So before the meeting began, I sat down by myself, waiting to see what this is all about. At the time, I thought it was merely a club about different music that is on the radio. As the meeting starts, I see most people know each other. One of the people at the station starts off by having everyone introduce themselves. People start classifying themselves as interns, or individuals or groups who have their own show. Yes, their own show. I thought I was in the wrong place at this moment. I didn’t have a show, I was only a freshman and I thought this was merely a club. When the time came to introduce myself, I said that I was simply a huge music fan and that I attend a lot of live shows. At the end of the introduction, one of the people from the station said that at the end of the meeting, people that don’t have shows can sign up. He also said within reason, we can play anything we wanted. My eyes widened and I became very excited! My own show? Playing anything I wanted? A noncommercial radio show? Right up my alley! I signed up and the rest was history.

It took me a while to get used to the soundboard, but thanks to the great staff at the station, I became acquainted with all the technology and started my own show. I remember my first show was a bit shaky, but I knew it could only go up from there. I was very nervous my first couple weeks to speak on air. I would fumble on my words or mess up the beginning of a song. Let’s be honest, I still do at times. But life is a learning process, so eventually, everything got better, and I am so thankful to be a part of this amazing non-commercial radio station.

There are so many amazing aspects of being a part of the station. One of my favorite things of all, is all the music discoveries I have made. If it wasn’t for the station, I could not have discovered some of my favorite bands and musicians. Being part of a non-commercial radio station gains you access to a wide variety of music. From electronic music, to indie rock, to punk, R&B, jazz, ect., non-commercial radio lets you discover and unfold how much amazing music is out there.

Having my own show has also opened up a lot of doors for me in meeting different people in the music world. I have been able to have different people and groups come play on my show. One band, Pine Barron’s, was amazing and joined me on my show to play some acoustic tracks, which followed a short interview. (They are amazing by the way! They have an album out, and soon to release album number two!) Thanks to the station, I have also been able to gain access to some live shows. This past year, I was fortunate enough to see one of my favorite bands ever live, Beach House. We had gotten their album Cherry Depression in the station, and sometimes we are able to get tickets through the label/promoters. It ended up being one of the most special and influential shows that I have ever attended. And that brings me to my finally favorite thing about having my own show. For me, it’s being able to share the music I love to amazing people in the area. Music has always been one of the most special and important things in my life. It is basically like breathing to me, I need to to stay alive, to stay calm and happy in the world. I hope to be able to share music with others in hopes to have them feel what I do; peace and joy. I want to be able to share this gift to others that is music. One of the best feelings in the world is to find music that is meaningful and special to you, and I hope to spread what I find to others so they gain the same emotion.

I am thankful for everyone at the radio station for giving me a voice through music, and allowing me to play what I love on air. Here’s to 31 years of the station being around! Thank you WLFR, I can’t wait to continue to make memories at the station.