Amy Cherette, a Bay Area resident, has been awarded the Tom Misner Opportunities Scholarship to attend the San Francisco campus of SAE Institute.
The scholarship was named in honor of Misner, who founded SAE Institute in 1976. It’s awarded to “a full-time student who is both hard-working and passionate about creative media”. Amy will have 25% of her total tuition costs – valued at $4,000 – paid for by the SAE Tom Misner Scholarship Fund.
“I’m honored to be a Tom Misner Opportunities Scholarship winner,” says Cherette, who’s a native of Grand Haven, MI. “I’m also thrilled to be studying at SAE, and I’m looking forward to the vast knowledge and experience that the school’s curriculum, faculty, and amazing international alumni network will provide.”
Amy’s application process for the Tom Misner Opportunities Scholarship included a 300-word essay, two letters of recommendation, an original audio submission and production paper, and a research paper on a topic related to audio or music.
“Amy has been a very serious and hard-working student,” says Kirk Engel, Campus Director at SAE Institute San Francisco. “She’s been booking studio time nearly everyday and experimenting with her own ideas and the things she’s learned in class, and she also shares her vast knowledge of DJ and production techniques with her peers. All of us at the school believe that she was a great choice for the Tom Misner Opportunities Scholarship.”
Cherette became interested in music at an early age: she began taking classical piano lessons at eight years-old and got her first drum set at 12. While attending Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, she was introduced to digital music production and did DJ performances at local parties and events. Her reputation grew, resulting in high profile DJ gigs at clubs, concerts, and festivals in Detroit and Grand Rapids – including opening for Sony Music synthpop recording artists Passion Pit. She also released tracks and produced beats for vocalists and MCs on the Ann Arbor/Detroit-based independent label Deepblip Records.
“My SAE education in audio technology will be vital in providing job opportunities for me as an engineer, and will also enhance my creative pursuits as a DJ, producer, and composer,” says Cherette, who’ll be doing a mini-tour of DJ appearances at clubs across the Midwest while on winter break. “I plan to stay in the Bay area after graduation and hope to intern at a studio or in some other professional music setting.”
Cherette began her full-time classes at SAE Institute on September 30.
