Meet the Interns: Marissa
Marissa is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts in Music Therapy from California State University, Northridge. Her primary instrument is piano, but she enjoys playing guitar and violin as well as singing. Throughout her time in Northridge, Marissa participated in a wide variety of volunteer and work experiences, including leading weekly music hour in a local class of first graders with autism and serving as a Music Activities Counselor at Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, a summer camp for children and teens with cancer and their families, for three summers. She also served as President of CSUN’s music therapy department student club, The Music Therapy Association of Northridge, where she coordinated campus and community events promoting and advocating for music therapy.
Marissa enjoys the creative process involved in working with clients and desires to use the mediums of both music and art to aid individuals in pursuing their personal growth and realizing their potential. Marissa’s desire to make music and holistic wellness accessible to all people led her to create Thrive – a program based in Mozambique, Africa that uses music to promote well-being in the lives of Mozambican youth. She traveled to Mozambique in 2015 to launch the program, and is currently in the process of adapting it into a sustainable program that channels the cultural pillar of music into a vehicle for community development, emotional growth and support, and practice skill building goals.
“Some of my earliest and sweetest memories of my childhood are of my grandmother and mother sharing in the joy of making music together. From this young age, I learned to appreciate music and the unique modality it became for me to express myself, communicate, and connect with others. After learning about music therapy and realizing the rich diversity of the field, I was excited to dive into a career that is centered around connecting with others and growing together. It is such a joy and privilege to be able to invest in people’s lives through the medium of music and discover our human potential together.”
