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I had my
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first start up company
doing home improvement.
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I had a little shop in Camarillo,
and I was learning
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about the ins and outs of what it took
to run a business, and that's
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when a big fire came through California.
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It ended up burning
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all of my tools along with my company car.
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I was derailed for a couple of years.
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It was a tragedy.
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But when I look back, I'm really thankful
because it inspired me
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to follow my dreams, which was music.
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I'm Octavius Lincoln.
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I'm 30 years old, and I'm studying
music at Ventura College.
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First, I was afraid I was pregnant.
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I kept thinking I live
without you by my side.
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After the big fire,
I enrolled in Ventura College
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to get a music degree so that I could
eventually become a teacher.
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I see music
as an invaluable tool for society.
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I see it as kind of a way to bring out
latent emotions in people.
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And when we can be exposed to good music,
kind of wrings that out of us.
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And that's why I've always dreamed
of being a musician.
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To inspire that feeling in people,
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I was afforded the opportunity
by the VC promise Grant to study
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choir, singing, jazz guitar, music
theory, ear training,
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and all these fundamental skills
that are so required to be able
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to successfully teach music to others
and to provide a quality music experience.
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And I've been able to actually
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come onto the stage and perform
all of those things for people.
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The goal is to continue to study
at a university level
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so that I can get a master's degree
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and come back to the college
and teach those things.
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Receiving scholarships from VC Foundation
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and having the VC promise
Grant approved for me
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has provided
such a level of support in my schooling
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that I've been able to focus so much more
and dig so much more into the material.
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I firmly believe that without the grant
and without the scholarships,
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that I wouldn't have had the time
to truly learn the subjects.
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And I've actually been able to maintain
a 4.0 grade point average the whole time
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I've been in school,
and it's just been a wonderful experience.
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The VC promise Grant has
and is allowing me to follow my dreams.
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There's support out there.
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You don't have to resign to something
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that you feel might be safer, or something
that you feel might be a sure bet.
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Just follow your dream.
