“Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to say, ‘These young people have talent. They deserve an opportunity.’”

For many young people, the direction of their lives can be shaped by the opportunity to explore a talent or interest they discover at school. In Consuelo, a community in the Dominican province of San Pedro de Macorís, Cheiry realized she had a gift for music and the Music for Social Change program helped her grow her gift into a bright future. Today, at 17, Cheiry is a graduate of Liceo en Artes Astín Jacobo, a Fe y Alegría arts high school, and a newly admitted student at the National Conservatory of Music.

“I studied music for three years through Fe y Alegría Dominicana’s music program,” she says, “an experience that gave me and many other young people opportunities that we otherwise might never have had.”

Opportunities to learn music are scarce for students in low-income communities across the Dominican Republic. Public schools often lack instruments, trained music teachers, and space to rehearse. In 2011, the late Fr. Antonio “Ton” Lluberes, S.J., founded the Fe y Alegría Youth Philharmonic to change that. 

For Cheiry, the access to instruments and teachers was only part of what the program gave her. What she values most is the community it created. Workshops, rehearsals, and performances brought her together with young musicians from other schools, and those friendships have outlasted graduation.

“Through music, I had the opportunity to meet and build relationships with students from other Fe y Alegría schools,” she says. “Many of these friendships continue today.”

Those connections have followed her into the next stage of her life. Since graduating, she has crossed paths with former classmates at the National Conservatory and through other musical projects. “We remain connected,” she says, “as part of the Fe y Alegría family.”

That sense of belonging reflects one of the program’s core convictions: Like education, music is a universal right. Learning to sing or play an instrument builds far more than technical skill. Playing in an ensemble strengthens concentration, discipline, teamwork, and emotional intelligence, and teachers report that students who keep up with music often do well in their other subjects too.

“What is most meaningful is knowing that there are people who believe in young people and recognize our potential,” Cheiry says. “Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to say, ‘These young people have talent. They deserve an opportunity.’”

Her own path shows what that belief makes possible. With her acceptance to the National Conservatory of Music, Cheiry joins a growing number of program graduates who have gone on to study music at the national level. Others have stayed close to home in a different role: 11 graduates now serve as classroom facilitators, teaching and supporting the students who come after them in Fe y Alegría schools.

“I am discovering new opportunities and opening new doors,” Cheiry says, “many of which would not have been possible without the experiences and support I received through the music program.”

She is clear about who helped open them. “I am deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to making this project possible,” she says. “Your support gives young people a space to develop their talents, the confidence to continue their education, and the motivation to pursue their goals.”

As she begins her studies at the conservatory, Cheiry is also thinking about the students now picking up instruments for the first time in classrooms like the ones where she started.

“I hope that future participants will have the same opportunities to learn, grow, and build their own paths forward,” she says.