Pablo Valladares Abad’s love for music began when he was just four-years-old. It’s not surprising, seeing as though both of his parents are musicians. Pablo decided he’d follow in their footsteps, and today studies Piano Performance at WMU. Pablo was awarded the Music Alumni Friends scholarship, which helped cover his trip to the Ono Zone Music Festival. He said the scholarship helped him tremendously from a financial aspect.
“The scholarship allows me to pay for my credit hours that are not covered,” Pablo said. “It also helps me with everyday expenses like bills and rent.” Pablo added that receiving the scholarship helped make him feel welcomed by the University.
Many scholarships at WMU are funded through the support of alumni and friends. Pablo expressed how thankful he was that there are people who donate money to support students like him. “I was amazed by their generosity,” Pablo said. “I am thankful for those people because they genuinely wanted to help me.”
Pablo works as a graduate assistant for the College of Fine Arts at WMU and expects to graduate in April of 2020. He is involved in a variety of music related activities, both on and off campus, including teaching piano lessons and working with WMU’s Dalton Center. He is also a part of the Music Teachers National Association on campus. Off campus, he teaches piano lessons at the Suzuki Academy of Music and is the artistic director. He previously studied in Des Moines, Iowa before coming to Kalamazoo.
Pablo said he would like to pursue a Doctorate in Piano Performance and eventually pursue a career in music administration. He is just one of thousands of students well on their way to reaching tremendous heights and with your support, you can help many more Broncos do the same.