MSUM Senior Receives First Affinity Plus Scholarship Through Music Foundation

When senior Rebecca Berth was in high school, she knew she wanted to find a college to pursue the two things she is passionate about: music and softball.

She couldn’t believe her luck when she discovered MSUM, a university about seven and a half hours away from her home in Oconto, Wis. Here, she could major in entertainment industries and technology (EIT) and play softball.

“In high school, I knew this was going to be a tough thing to find because few universities offer this major, and softball takes up a lot of my time. I needed to find a balance between the two,” Rebecca said.

Little did she know how involved she’d become on campus. She is the leadership chair of the student organization, School of Entertainment Industry and Technology (SoEIT) Productions. Rebecca also works on the student union and activities team, is a building manager in the Comstock Memorial Union, and a member of Athletes in Action.

Rebecca’s time on the Dragon Softball team has given her many opportunities. As a sophomore, she set the single-season innings record with 221.2 innings pitched. She’s also traveled with the softball team to Florida three times and, just this last year, to St. Louis.  

She joined MSUM’s GO! Team as a sophomore and said that is what inspired her to pursue a minor in sports communication to complement her EIT major with an emphasis in audio technology.

This spring, Rebecca received a $5,000 Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union Scholarship from Live Nation and the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation. According to their website, recipients “were selected based on academic performance, leadership skills and a passionate commitment to the live entertainment experience.”

She is the first student to receive the newly established Affinity scholarship and said it is an honor to be so. This award is for eligible Minnesota college students seeking a career related to the music industry.

Initially, Rebecca applied for a different scholarship through the Live Nation and House of Blues Music Forward Foundation. She later received a call from a foundation scholarship officer who noticed that she was going to school in Minnesota. They urged her to apply for the Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union Scholarship.

“That was cool to see that there are people out there who want students like me to get into the industry and help me learn,” Rebecca said. “…It’s a huge honor that they saw the potential and thought I was a good candidate for this scholarship.”  

Rebecca said being so involved around campus has taught her many skills she hopes to take with her in her future career.

“I want to work at a professional sports stadium, maybe running the music, the replay, or a camera,” she explained.

Not only does her involvement in SOEIT and the GO! Team prepare her for a career in the music industry, but she says she now knows the Music Forward Foundation will always be a resource for her.

“Now that I’m a little more involved with them, [I know] that I can apply for a grant if I want to start my own small business. They do so much to get people started, especially women,” Rebecca said.

As she enters her senior year, Rebecca is honored to accept the Music Forward and Nation Live scholarship and hopes to have a memorable final year in softball and the EIT program.