Hi! My name is Caroline Venn and I have albinism. I am from South Carolina, and I am 15 years old. I attend the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities as a sophomore in music. I have been part of the NOAH community since I was born, attending conferences and camps ever since.
For those who don’t know, SCGSAH is a public residential high school that provides pre-professional training in the arts. Most of the students are juniors or seniors, but a small number of students are accepted as sophomores for “early admissions”. My sophomore class has nine students, including myself. Our school day is split between academics and arts instruction. I spend around three hours a day practicing, not including classes like AP Theory and Piano Masterclass. I have made some amazing friends, including two who I talk with for hours every day. I have learned so many new things already, but it has been so hard living away from home. I miss being able to see my best friend every day at school, and family dinners. I miss being able to watch football with my Dad every Saturday and hanging out with my sisters. However, I think it has been good for me and I am so grateful that I am able to attend this school.
I use some tools everyday to help me see my music and accomplish schoolwork better. I have an iPad Pro that I use to see my sheet music. I use the ForScore music app, which allows me to crop and enlarge my sheet music to exactly how big I need it to be so that I can see it easily. I use a foot pedal to change pages in my sheet music, and I use my Apple Pencil to edit the music. I also memorize pieces very quickly. All of my teachers and friends know about my visual impairment and do small things that help me so much. Instead of demonstrating techniques on her piano, my piano teacher will demonstrate on my piano so that I can see her hands better. I sit in the front of every class and most of my teachers give verbal instructions as well as visual cues. My friends will read me the menu in restaurants, or will let me know what is written on the board.
In my free time, I love to hang out with my friends and family, read, and do puzzles. I also love listening to music, specifically classical and Taylor Swift. I love to watch college football with my Dad on weekends, and I like to explore downtown Greenville with my friends. I can’t wait to attend camp this coming summer and I hope to be a CIT! I’m so excited for the next three years!!!
