February 2020 | #IAMSHAKER Student Spotlight: Emilia Richter

Emilia Richter is a soft-spoken senior and a gentle soul who has a passion for music (especially for her family’s Andean roots). She’s also remarkably creative and resourceful. Going into this year, Emilia earned enough credits to build free time into her schedule, so she created her own internship: she spends three days a week visiting the elderly residents at local assisted living facilities. You can get a peek at the talents she shares with residents by watching her perform on her YouTube channel, “emilia richter”. Read more about the talented and kind Emilia Richter in this month’s #IAMSHAKER Student Spotlight:

Tell us about your unique schedule for your senior year.
I have the first half of my day free this year, so I wanted to figure out something useful to do with my time. I know that I want to study music therapy in college and I already had experience playing music for the elderly. My family is from Peru and we go there every year to visit—my great aunt lives in an elderly home and I often go and play for the residents. So I was thinking about that and decided to do a little research. I called three assisted living senior centers here in Shaker and worked out a schedule where I rotate through them three days a week. It’s really nice. I visit Campbell Court, Library Court and The Woodlands of Shaker Heights. I plan out each session with either playing music or doing some kind of art project. Sometimes I bring the Charango—it’s like a ukulele, but from Peru—and I play for them and they sing along to all kinds of songs.. 

How were you able to get so much free time in your schedule?
I’m a huge fan of College Credit Plus—I really took advantage of that program, taking classes online and joint classes through Tri-C and the high school. It’s so great that we offer this as an opportunity to students. I started talking about it with my counselor, Mrs. Szendrey when I was a freshman and sophomore and she really encouraged me. She told me that if I planned things out correctly and did my work over the summer that I could build more flexibility into my schedule. It’s worked out really well for me.

What have you learned about yourself through this experience?
Creating my own schedule has really been eye opening for me. It feels a little like I’ve given myself a head start on what college will be like. I know that if I’m late to something, then it’s my fault. And if I don’t come prepared when I’m visiting with residents, then things can turn into a big mess. It’s really taught me a lot about personal organization skills. Plus, I’ve learned that I really do love music therapy. 

Is music therapeutic for you?
Music is the most important thing in my life. I love helping other people to feel better doing something that I love. 

What else are you involved in outside of school?
I’m on the crew team and I’m a captain this year. I’m also co-president of Project Support, it’s a club where we do activities and crafts with some of the special education students. It’s really fun. And I have a YouTube channel. I’ve been doing it for a few years. I am also president of Woodbury Tutoring Club, where high school students tutor 5th and 6th graders in orchestra!

Anything your experience as a YouTuber has taught you and any advice you have to share with other students who have YouTube channels? 
I’ve learned that if you’re going to have a YouTube channel, you have to be consistent with it. You have to keep going. I think a lot of people start out and then run out of energy. I don’t have a ton of subscribers, but I enjoy what I’m doing. So I guess my advice is that you should experiment with what you like and not worry if you don’t fit the standard of what you usually see on YouTube. 

What advice do you have for Shaker students who may want to take an alternative pathway through High School?
I think it’s great that Shaker supports giving students a lot of opportunities to be creative in ways where we can make the system fit our needs. I would encourage more students to take advantage of that. It’s easier to do than you think.