Clara Guatta-Cescuni

College-level study can be difficult for anyone, but when English isn't your first language, it can be even tougher. That was initially the case for Clara Guatta-Cescuni, who was born in the Berkshires but raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Now poised to graduate from BCC in May with a degree in music, Clara has come a long way since first learning to study in English instead of her native Spanish. She was recently accepted to the prestigious Berklee College of Music with a combination of scholarships and financial aid that nearly cover full tuition.

Clara graduated from high school in Argentina and moved to the United States when she was just shy of 20 years old, working several jobs to help her family out and pushing aside her love for music for what she felt was something more practical.

"I tried BCC at first, but it was challenging because of the language," she recalls. "Even though my English is really good, studying in English is a whole different story." She also lacked motivation, she says, because she wasn't studying a field she felt passionate about.

"I was nervous. Everything was so new, I had just left home, and I was in a new space. I wanted to go to what's secure, so I thought I could study business, but I didn't like it," she says. "It was just a click at some point that I needed to stop and do what I want to do. That's how I started my journey in the music program, and I absolutely love it. I wouldn't be where I am right now if it wasn't for BCC."

Before beginning classes at BCC, Clara completed her prerequisite in applied music at Berkshire Music School. She had made the decision to jump into music as her full-time career aspiration — a choice she didn't take lightly.

"The arts are a field that people are kind of scared of, because it gives this impression of non-professionalism or that you can't find work from it," Clara says, noting that can sometimes be true in South America, where economies often struggle to grow. "When my parents found out I wanted to be a musician, they freaked out, because they were worried about my future, even though it came from a place of love."

But Clara says that when she moved to the Berkshires, the idea of becoming a professional musician seemed possible.

"I landed in the best place I could land, because the Berkshires has such good performance venues and a lot of opportunities for local artists," says Clara, who also credits local nonprofit organizations that helped her find resources. For example, Latinas 413, a nonprofit based in Pittsfield that helps build connections among Latinas, gave Clara the power to start making her dreams a reality. Under the direction of BCC graduate Marina Dominguez, whom Clara considers her mentor, and through Katunemo Art and Healing, the organization Marina founded, she began getting music gigs around the Berkshires. Today, she plays guitar and sings every Thursday night at Tito's Mexican Grill in Pittsfield.

With an acceptance to Berklee and a weekly gig doing what she loves, life is different for Clara than it had been a few short years ago.

"I was in a dark place for a little while. I was still new here, and I was insecure. I thought that no one would be interested in hearing me play or sing," Clara says. "But all these amazing people helped and encouraged me to do it."

That network of support includes her teachers at BCC, especially professors Jeff Link and Ellen Shanahan. Both gave her excellent academic and career advice, and Jeff — a Berklee graduate himself — wrote her recommendation letter.

"He was the one who, when I applied to Berklee, made me feel like I was capable of doing it," she says. "I felt really supported at BCC, especially as an immigrant student. Most of us have to work and study, and right now I'm working a lot. My teachers were always super supportive and empathetic."

Clara, who says she has worked "all kinds of jobs" to support herself while earning her degree, currently teaches Spanish and art to middle schoolers at St. Stanislaus Kostka School in Adams, a job she loves, and has a seasonal job at Jiminy Peak. But she feels most at home when performing music, and she's happy to report that her family is on board with her career path.

"My parents started to see me getting more paid gigs, playing, actually doing something with music and making money doing it," she says.

Clara, who enjoys almost all kinds of music, sings "pretty much everything" in English and Spanish, from the classics to pop and rock. She also loves the South American music from her home country, like bolero and tango. While she is a talented guitarist, Clara's voice is her primary instrument.

"The thing I've learned is that if you sing and play, the key is not being the best instrumentalist, but being able to make your instrument go with you," she says. "For me, it's natural."

At Berklee, Clara is considering studying music composition for media, perhaps with a minor in songwriting. For now, she's simply thrilled at the prospect of attending school there, made possible by what she calls a "Frankenstein" of financial sources. Thanks to a combination of grants, merit scholarships and financial aid, almost all her expenses will be covered. She's still getting over the shock of it all.

"If I'm honest, I got down on my kitchen floor and cried for like an hour," says Clara, recalling the moment she received news of her nearly full-ride scholarships. "It was tears of happiness that I made it. It was a lot of work."

Clara feels strongly about the value of community college, and she wants others to be able to succeed as she has.

Now that they've made community college free, it's amazing. It's something that needed to be done, because it gives access to education. There are so many resources at BCC — it just depends on how you want to use them.

And, for busy people like her who work multiple jobs, the flexibility BCC offers is key. "It's awesome that BCC gives that opportunity to the community," she adds.

For now, Clara will spend her time playing music before she moves to Boston, and she'll continue spending time with her parents and younger brother, going out dancing with her friends, honing her new love of skiing, reading poetry and writing.

"I have a personality besides music," Clara laughs, "but it's the thing I've wanted to do my whole life."