“If you get into NEC, you go to NEC.”
Julie Stevens ’10 was nervous about leaving her hometown in New Jersey, but when she received her acceptance letter from New England Conservatory, she thought, “How could you get in and not go?”
During her four years, Julie majored in music history with a concentration in music in education. NEC, she said, was “the perfect environment for me because it helped me work in an area I was confident in, but also pushed me in areas I wasn’t.”
Music continues to be a big part of her life as she sings in churches and teaches voice lessons. NEC also helped Julie succeed in her current role as the academic affairs coordinator for the Department of Economics at Columbia University. “I always talk about how studying at NEC gave me skills,” she said. “Being a musician at such an elite school raises the bar. The school has a higher standard, so the students have a higher standard.”
Julie, who continues to wear her NEC sweatshirt proudly, shared why being a musician is so meaningful. “What we do matters. We have an important part in society,” she said. “You may not find yourself special because you are surrounded by other musicians at NEC, but outside of NEC, you are really special.”
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