Laura Gamboa
Graduation Year: 2013
Location: Los Angeles, California
Type of Creative: Musician
What They Do: Laura is a violinist currently completing her doctorate at the University of Southern California (USC) and teaches classes to non-music major students at USC.
Their Journey: Laura's musical journey began at four when she started playing the violin. Since graduating from Wellington in 2013, she has continuously pursued her passion for music. Laura is now in the last semester of completing her doctorate at USC, studying under Martin Chalifour, the concertmaster of the L.A. Philharmonic. In addition to her primary studies, she has received several fellowships from the Aspen Music Festival and School. Laura's time in the creative space is divided between performing and teaching. Her favorite aspect of being a creative is finding fulfillment in meaningful performances where she can lose her sense of ego on stage and achieve a spiritual connection to the music. These moments, when she can embrace the present and connect deeply with the audience, are the most magical for her.
The Wellington Impact: Laura credits Wellington for providing a strong academic foundation that has been invaluable throughout her musical career. Participating in extracurriculars and advanced classes was a formative experience in her time at Wellington. The school's stimulating academic environment helped her develop intellectual confidence, making her university studies manageable. Laura reflects, "At Wellington, I participated in band and the A.P. Music theory course with Mr. Becker, which were highlights of my musical experience there. Wellington pushed me academically and helped develop my brain at a very young age, so I could go through the rest of university easily, achieving my academic goals. I gained an overall level of competence that has been invaluable." Laura also appreciates the encouragement and support she received from her teachers at Wellington, which gave her the confidence to pursue a career in music despite her early reservations. "I was unsure about being a professional musician because I was worried about supporting myself; I had to choose which path/career to take in life, and it was scary and stressful. When I asked teachers close to me if my dream was possible, everyone was encouraging and positive. At Wellington, my teachers believed in me ferociously, and I've been lucky to have other teachers at the university level believe in me as well. I'm really grateful for all of those moments where I had a supportive conversation, and it helped me be brave enough to go for it!"