Music has always been central to Xiomara’s life. Long before she arrived at Stevenson midway through her junior year, she was already a seasoned performer who understood the discipline, vulnerability and joy that come with stepping on stage. What she didn’t yet know was how deeply that passion would intertwine with her academic and community life once she became a Stevenson Pirate.

“I arrived with one clear intention: I needed a fresh start,” Xiomara shared. “What I didn’t anticipate was how completely Stevenson would reshape my understanding of what that could mean.” Becoming a boarder and navigating new classes, relationships and routines all at once was a challenge, but Xiomara committed early on to making the experience count. Music quickly became both an anchor and a bridge into her new community.

Xiomara’s musical journey began at age eight through a nonprofit band program, where she studied piano, guitar and voice before committing fully to singing and stage performance. By 12, she was fronting a youth band and guest-performing with Chicano All Star bands throughout the region. “Music has never been a hobby for me,” she explained. “It’s always been how I express myself and connect with people.”

By age 15, Xiomara felt ready for greater creative freedom. Alongside fellow musicians, she stepped away from the program that had shaped her early years and co-founded Channel 5, an independently managed band built on shared artistic vision and trust. The group has continued to evolve, performing rock music that spans decades and genres – from classic to contemporary – and sometimes on-the-spot songs! Today, Channel 5 includes Xiomara and two other Stevenson students – Mahea C. ’26 (bass) and Lorena K.D. ’26 (drums) – along with two other musicians.

The band’s growth has been marked by increasingly ambitious performances, including shows at Wave Street Studios, the Monterey County Fair and community events across Carmel, Pacific Grove, Hollister and Watsonville. Their debut show at Wave Street Studios was a defining moment: a sold-out crowd, a two-hour set list and a summer’s worth of preparation behind it. “That was the first time everything we’d been building really clicked,” Xiomara said.

After arriving at Stevenson, Xiomara found a new dimension to her music-making through the school’s Rock Band class, created and taught by Upper Division Fine Arts Department Chair Dr. Willow Manspeaker. “Rock Band was the one anchor I had before Stevenson,” Xiomara said. “I knew this class existed, and I wanted in.” She spent her first semester in Songwriting class, strengthening her creative foundation before joining Rock Band.

While Xiomara entered the class with extensive performance experience, the collaborative environment challenged her in unexpected ways. “I came in with what I now recognize was overconfidence,” she reflected. “Playing with entirely new people dismantled everything I thought I knew about performance. Musical chemistry doesn’t happen on command, it requires patience, trial and error, and real vulnerability.”

Rock Band is designed to cultivate exactly that kind of growth. “Our class is a hands-on, performance-based ensemble space where students learn how to actually be in a band,” Dr. Manspeaker explained. “We move through rock history, exploring different styles and what they demand from musicians, while students collaborate, improvise and solve problems together.”

For Xiomara, those lessons translated directly into her work with Channel 5. Rehearsing with new classmates sharpened her listening skills, expanded her musical instincts and deepened her understanding of collaboration – skills she now brings back to her band. “No matter how much you know, there’s always more to discover if you stay curious,” she said.

Music has also helped Xiomara build meaningful relationships on campus. Bandmates became friends, and rehearsals spilled beyond the classroom into practice rooms, hallways and free periods. Channel 5 even performed for Stevenson’s residential community during Halloween weekend her junior year, blending her life as a performer with her life on campus. “That moment really bridged those two worlds for me,” she said.

Beyond music, Xiomara has found community through leadership and service, particularly in the Latin Student Union. “The LSU became my home faster than I thought possible,” she shared. “Stevenson trusted me with leadership early on and created space for me to contribute something meaningful.”

Dr. Manspeaker sees that sense of belonging as one of Rock Band class’s greatest strengths. “There’s often a moment when a student realizes, ‘Oh… this band needs me,’” Dr. Manspeaker said. “That’s when confidence grows, responsibility clicks and students take real pride in their work.”

As Xiomara looks ahead – she was recently accepted early decision to her dream school, Smith College – music remains a constant. She plans to major in Government with a Spanish minor, continue her equity and inclusion work, and start a new band in Northampton, Massachusetts. “Music isn’t optional for me,” she said. “It’s how I process the world, how I connect with people and how I stay grounded through every transition.”

Reflecting on her time at Stevenson, Xiomara encourages future students to embrace both challenge and community. “Lean into whatever form community takes for you here,” she said. “And don’t be afraid to leave your own mark; community isn’t just something that happens to you, it’s something you actively help create.”