secret talents

Daniel Baker

When did you get into beekeeping and what about it interested you?

“I got into beekeeping in middle school during the sixth grade for two reasons. The first is because of a book I read called the Beekeeper’s Bible. It basically talks about anything and everything bee related, ranging in topics from the mythology and lore of beekeeping to modern hive-maintenance techniques to different honey and beeswax recipes. The second reason is because my family is allergic to every pet-like animal possible – dogs, cats, birds, and even hedgehogs. So, I had to find something I could take care of outside the house and after remembering what I read in the Beekeeper’s Bible, I knew bees would make for the best, most unconventional ‘pets.’”

What is your favorite thing about it?

“How even after seven years of working with my hives, I’m still constantly learning new things. Whether its researching queen rearing techniques or learning how to create new bee genetics in my hives, I’m humbled by the amount of knowledge I’ve yet to learn.”

Do you have a certain memorable experience you’d like to share?

“Definitely the first time I got honey in the spring of 2018. After years of hard work, when I saw the honey flowing out of the extraction machine, I could almost taste the success.”

I have to ask, have you ever gotten stung really badly?

“I’ve been stung way too many times to count. The worst were when I got stung on the eye and it swelled shut for two days, and the other was when I got stung on the foot over ten times and could hardly walk the next day.”

Oh gosh, that sounds horrible. Do you have any advice to someone learning this skill?

“Beekeeping is a labor of love and if there’s something that this skill has taught me, it would be patience. It’s inevitable that you’re going to have hives that fail, probably even fail multiple times, but you have to use those experiences as learning opportunities. Be patient and don’t give up—I promise; the work is worth the wait.”

Do you want to do anything with this talent in the future?

“In the future, I want to create a network of beekeepers around the United States who work with the National Parks. I think it be cool to have a system where parks could contact local beekeepers to have hives placed on their grounds after natural disasters like wildfires.”

Joey Fedro

When did you first get into music?

“In middle school, I didn’t really have a solid passion or direction in life. I tried art and writing, both weren’t for me. Then I tried music and it just fit and I kinda fell in love.”

Who are a few of your music-related idols?

“I would probably say Yo-Yo Ma, Beck Hansen, Ersen Dadaslar, Kayhan Kalhor, William Onyeabor, Aaron Freeman, and Mickey Melchiondo.”

What’s your favorite instrument to play? And are you currently learning any?

Though jazz drums are my main instrument, I love playing cultural and world instruments like the bendir, kanjira, darbuka, baglamas, and the saz. I’m always trying to expand what I learn on them, too.

Gosh that’s so many, I can’t even play the keyboard. Are you wanting to do anything with music in the future?

“Yes, I’m majoring in audio engineering and I hope to have my own small business in the music industry one day.”

Anything else you’d like to mention, maybe some advice for someone interested in learning music?

“Don’t practice arbitrary etudes and movements, learn what you love, get lost in the beauty of the history and study of music. Don’t limit youself to just American music, too. The wider world holds some of the most beautiful songs, but you’ll never hear them if you don’t branch out at all.”

Emelie Wong

When exactly did you get into the piano? What was so appealing about it?

“I got into piano at age three. I liked it because it was so relaxing, plus learning to read music is pretty helpful and very freeing. Because of it, I can teach myself basically any music.”

Would I recognize some pieces you know pretty well?

“I’ve learned some different musicals like The Greatest Showman and La La Land. Also some music scores, including Beauty and the Beast and Pride and Prejudice.”

Do you have a memorable experience or favorite part about piano?

“Recitals are pretty memorable, I really enjoyed winning a few jazz competitions in the past. But my favorite thing is definitely when I feel the music come together after working through just the notes and the technique. I don’t know how to describe it, but you can really just feel that specific moment when the music blends.”

Do you want to do anything with piano or music in the future? Anything else you would like to mention?

“I’d like to think I’m going to minor in piano in in college. One thing that’s been pretty hard for me to learn about piano is to not to get discouraged. Sometimes the music just seems too hard to learn or master, but you have to remember to never get discouraged.”