Eliot Mickelson
Rachel Decker
The Paw Print
Not many students have such a deep appreciation and understanding for music as Eliot Mickelson, who is one of Adams State’s brightest, most promising students.
Eliot graduated from Taos High School with an outstanding 4.0 grade point average throughout his entire four years. He was involved in theater and guitar on an extra curricular level for most of his time at high school. Music and art have always been a huge part of Eliot’s life.
“Since I was young, both have played a key role in the way I live and breath. Academically, my path was tried and true and I thrived as an introvert. I had friends to care for too, but I didn’t have nearly the level of prospects that I have now. As cliché as is sounds, music was a nice escape. Guitar class was an hour of the school day that I could spend away from studying and be sincere with myself.”
What surprised Eliot in school was that he realized that his peers, as well as his friends, were clueless to the fact that he was so virtuosic.
“They had no idea that I played music until senior year when I played for talent show with a band I was in at the time. The absurd part was that we got first place.”
Here at Adams State College, Eliot’s life is completely centered on music, what with him being a Music Composition major. It seems as though he literally eats, sleeps, and breathes music. His ultimate objective at Adams State College is knowledge and experience; the degree comes as an added bonus for him. Eliot has worked very hard to attain his degree –and his immense knowledge- in four years, and as another plus, he’s managed to do so loan-free.
“Absorbing the music, the students, the faculty, and the cultures of this school has made it far more valuable than the cost of admission,” Eliot says. “I hope to achieve something valuable here every day.”
As well as everything music-related, Eliot is also a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) here on campus. Though he’s not trained as an educator, Eliot says the organization has given him wonderful opportunities nonetheless.
What really makes Eliot stand out, though, is his immense and nearly insurmountable love of music. He says that he virtually lives night and day in the Adams State Music Building. Everything directly related to his major goes into and comes from that department, so it’s no wonder he’s there nearly all his time.
“I like to say that music is my essence of being in life,” Eliot says. “The art runs through my veins and drives me so profoundly that it often leads me through the day. The idea can seem too philosophical or deep, but sincerely I just love music. Language is messy, and music helps me to communicate in a way that words cannot.”
Eliot’s passion for music is what makes his life worth living, and it’s what drives him to seek out the beauty in life. Anyone with that amount of love and devotion towards something can only create good in this world. Though no one can be sure of what Eliot will achieve in his years to come, it’s a safe bet to say he’ll be making a difference one note at a time.
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