name:

-derekrodrigues

nineteen years

lakenheath air base, suffolk county, united kingdom

belton, texas

after working my way through five elementary schools and two middle/junior high schools, i finally graduated from harlingen high school south in harlingen, texas, on may 23, 1998.

i graduated from high school with an honors diploma and with the distinction of 'texas scholar', meeting the criteria set forth by the texas education agency

i am currently studying at the university of mary hardin-baylor, declared as an instrumental music major, with saxophone concentration, for all-level teaching certification. i was led here by God, who informed me that it would be in my best interest to learn to be a teacher from one of the best in the business, mr. dennis hopkins.

after i earn my bachelor of music education degree, i plan on teaching in the public school system while working in the summers to earn a master of woodwinds or a master of composition degree. after that, i think i'll teach for quite some time. but rest assured that i will one day continue my education when i pursue my doctorate of music composition degree. then i'll create for a living!

i'm at that point in any education when things turn idle. i'm a sophomore. this year, after transferring from acu to umhb, seems anything but idle. i have learned so much this year, i think i have doubled whatever i learned in the past 18 years before now. i couldn't have made a better decision.

i am currently studying saxophone privately with a great instructor, mr. jeremy justeson. i have to say, that year i spent working with charles coltman in abilene helped me immensely, for i have had little work to do in terms of playing the saxophone this year. under mr. justeson, i have worked more on individual pieces and the musicality therein, rather than fixing mechanical errors. i'm also learning to play baritone/euphonium currently, under the guidance of mr. dennis hopkins. i hope to become proficient, eventually on all instruments. that way, when i am composing, i will know more than just the limitations, but the intricacies of every instrument for which i write.

socially, i guess i just snake my way through life. occasionally i'll be spotted with a group of people, but i prefer the company of my own mind. and for those of you wondering about social status in its more common definition, i am very in love right now and very happily committed to the cutest woman in the whole world, veronica flores. i love her deeply and i can't imagine how i ever got along without her.

i have two wonderful, loving parents who, though they may not love each other anymore (and have gotten the law to recognize that as well), still have an immense love for me to which i owe a large part of who i am today. in addition to loving me, they also love my twenty-three year-old brother, rolando. though he and i have a long history of fighting and shying away from each other, we have recently realized how much we mean to each other and i can now say comfortably that i love him dearly. i have two wonderful grandmothers who care for me when they get the opportunity, about thirteen aunts and uncles and thirty-four cousins whom i rarely see or talk to, but i still love just the same. last but not least, i have a great step-father, gus. his constant efforts toward building a happy home with my mother and myself and my brother have made him an indispensable part of my life.

i'm not sure as to where exactly i can trace my roots, but i do know that i am one hundred per cent mexican and i am more than proud to proclaim my hispanic culture to the world.

ok, this really shouldn't be here, but i know how lazy some of you web-dwellers are. so if you have any questions or comments about me and my existence, send 'em my way!