Student Spotlight: Harold Rivas

This month, our student spotlight is Harold Rivas, president of the Student Government Association (SGA) Rivas is studying percussion at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Read a Q&A below. 

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the community at Berklee? 

From my experience, I can say that the Berklee community is a friendly one that encourages us to keep up our excellence as performers. From the day I auditioned at the Conservatory to this day, near the end of my bachelor's degree, I have felt that Berklee at large is an institution that invests in the rising young artists with love, and I'm confident I could not find a better place for me. I believe an important element in this is the merger, which has allowed me to pursue a degree in Western concert percussion while still taking opportunities to further explore Latin music, connecting me to my place of origin.

The Berklee community consists of artists from various cultures and nationalities. There is always an opportunity to learn with and from each other. I am Colombian-American, and I grew up knowing that Berklee has a high reputation among Hispanic artists worldwide as the place to go to for a degree in Latin music. There is good reason for it, as our school excels in this sector as it does in many others of the global musical scene. In the spirit of further celebrating Hispanic culture on campus, I helped cofound La Fuerza Hispana, Berklee's Hispanic club, and served as vice president of the club during the spring 2022 semester.

What keeps you motivated and drives you to succeed at Berklee?

Gratitude. Gratitude for the opportunity to study here, for my family's unconditional love and support all my life, and for my community at Berklee and at home (Miami, Florida).

I have had a great experience as a student here and I promised I would leave this school in better hands and in a better state than how I found it. This is my way of saying thank you to Berklee for allowing me to pursue my degree in music here. And, this would not be possible without the support of my family and of so many professors and friends who have contributed to my growth and studies here, including before I came to Berklee. The last element in the equation is that, by studying here, I am investing in my future. I am excited to take on the opportunity to serve the world at large through my work as an artist, and I am confident that my education here will further prepare me for what's to come.

Are you a part of a club or organization at Berklee? Tell us about it.

I am the current president of Berklee's Student Government Association. Our job as student leaders is to advocate for students at Berklee's Boston campus. We meet regularly with members of senior leadership to discuss students' concerns and find ways to address them together. We also engage with various departments and faculty/staff members to collaborate on projects and events to benefit the student experience. I first joined SGA as a representative for the Conservatory's Music Division in the spring 2021 semester. Since then, I have had a rich learning experience serving the Berklee community and working alongside my SGA colleagues. As a result, I have become more interested in becoming an arts administrator in the near future. I am also honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of Berklee as a whole, and invite any student who is interested in an opportunity like this to become a student leader on campus, be it as a member of SGA or through any of the various leadership opportunities available on campus. Please feel free to reach out to us via email at sga@berklee.edu or through Instagram as @berklee_sga. We love hearing from students about their experiences; in the same spirit, I welcome families to reach out to us as well about their experiences and that of their students!

You can listen to Harold’s music by visiting his YouTube channel and Spotify artist page.