2023-24 President's Scholars

Christian Solis

Hugh and Judy La Bounty President's Scholar

Major: Music Performance

College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences

Activities: Principal Clarinetist, CPP Wind Ensemble; Band Manager, Department of Music; Resident Advisor, University Housing Services; Summer Conference Aide

One Word to Describe CPP: “Opportunity. CPP has a very high employment rate after graduation and also helps many underrepresented groups with their futures.”

Christian began his college studies in his birthplace of Costa Rica, studying agronomy and music because of his love for his family farm and playing clarinet but which also involved full-time enrollment in three different universities. Spending hours commuting by bus while taking care of his grandmother who had just developed cancer, Christian’s daily schedule included studying, three hours of nightly sleep and sharing responsibility in his grandmother’s round-the-clock care. After her passing, Christian pushed himself even harder, taking more online classes during the pandemic but it eventually took a toll on his physical and mental health. His father encouraged him to focus on the major he really loved. “Now, in my third year I couldn’t have done it without all the support of the music department. I am here because they believed in a Costa Rican student that sent a video of himself playing the clarinet in hopes to get one opportunity.” He plans to pursue a composition career and create a new youth music institute in Costa Rica.