Berkeley students are teeming with talent. Whether it is in academics, sports or the arts, students are always pushing themselves to achieve success in anything that they do. There is one specific student who really committed herself to what she loves and does best: singing.

Senior Maya Jacobson competed in Michael Feinstein’s Great American Songbook Initiative, one of the most well-known vocal contests in the country. Feinstein, a five-time Grammy award winner and founder of the initiative, dedicates this competition to music solely from Hollywood musicals, Broadway, and the Tin Pan Alley era in the early to mid-twentieth century as a means of celebrating this period in musical history.

This genre of music has a special place in Jacobson’s heart. “The songs are so much about telling a story. That is why I love theater so much. It is an honor to do theater,” she said.  As a child, Jacobson was surrounded by music because her mother sang. “When I was younger, I used to go to my mom saying that I don’t have any talent,” Jacobson said. “Then one day, my mom had me do a solo at our temple, and I loved it. I was really shy at the time and did not talk, but singing helped me talk. Singing is everything to me.”

In June Jacobson competed in the southeast regional finals in Atlanta and finished in the top two. “It was amazing,” Jacobson said. “It was a huge honor. I just felt so blessed to be able to share the genre of music that I loved so much with the rest of the finalists.”  In late July, she was invited to the Feinstein Initiative in Indiana to take part in a five day camp solely focused on performing songs of this cultural genre.

Throughout the course of the five days, Jacobson participated in workshops and classes conducted by Feinstein and other top music professionals to prepare for the final competition in the Palladium Concert Hall at the Center for Performing Arts. Jacobson performed in front of sixteen hundred people with Headmaster Seivold cheering her on in the audience. “Even though there were sixteen hundred people in the audience, I saw Mr. Seivold wave at me!” she exclaimed.

Though Jacobson did not place in the finals, she learned a great deal. “I have learned so much that I will take to college with me,” Jacobson said. “The nine other finalists were so incredible. It was great to know that everyone was unique. I learned that you as a person are enough and you don’t have to be someone you’re not to be cast or to go to college. A college or audition should want you for you.”

Jacobson’s attributed her success to her family and friends. “My parents and sister are definitely my biggest advocates. They are my rocks. They are my everything. I also have such incredible friends. I love every single person in my Advanced Drama class to death.” She also emphasized the important role that Berkeley has played in achieving her goal. The school has exposed Jacobson to many different possibilities and opportunities. Her teachers, specifically Tom Brandt, Patricia Lukacs, Kathi Grau and Rob Redei, have supported her every step of the way.

Jacobson is incredible grateful to the Berkeley community for helping her succeed. She said, “This is what is so great about Berkeley. If you drop your book, there is going to be someone to pick it up. There will always be someone to open and hold the door for you if you have too many things in your hands. There is always someone to talk to. Berkeley really is an amazing place and has helped me so much.”