Elijah Stevens, 22 left the Bahamas unaccompanied at age 17 in 2013 with faith, all his belongings and a $100 to pursue his dreams of becoming a classical pianist and studying abroad in the United States of America. Stevens was denied from six full scholarships in the Bahamas, which was devastating news for him and his family, even though he was accepted to historically black university, Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach Fl.
“As soon as I started music lessons, I knew that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he said.
Stevens started playing piano in the 7th grade beginning lessons at Woods Music Academy with Mrs. Drea Rolle where he first developed his passion for music and after only a little over a year of taking lessons, he became the Student of the Year excelling pass some 31 students. This recognition gave him a full tuition scholarship where his church, Church of Christ Apostolic, who had sent him to music lessons did not have to pay for the following year. In 2010, Stevens transferred his musical studies to the Orchestral School of Music where he studied with Maestro Reynold Robinson who is well-known for his student’s impressive winnings at the E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival and for producing high-quality band performances.
With the push of Mr. Robinson, Elijah set his eyes on leaving the island to pursue his dream and when confronted with the reality of possibly having to stay home because of the lack of funds, Stevens determined within himself to not take no for an answer and realize his dream. He reached out to the school to find out his options for funding and the music department told him that he would need to come for an audition, and after possibly passing an audition, he would be considered for scholarship. Against his parent’s advice to stay home, work for a year and attend the local college, Stevens left with no guarantee of being awarded anything.
“Staying home just wasn’t an option for me and in my mind, if I was really serious about leaving, I would’ve needed to pack all my things in faith and that’s exactly what I did.”
His remarkable risk-taking paid off when the school offered to cover all his fees with scholarships that were at that time well pass the deadline. Stevens is now the first in his family to attend and graduate from college and he graduated with the highest academic distinction. During his studies, Stevens won many awards, competitions and was very involved on campus holding many presidential offices as a student leader which caught the eyes of the United States Department of Education who appointed him as “One of the Best and Brightest of Students in the U.S” under the title White House H.B.C.U All-Star. This honor allowed him to travel to the White House where he was pinned, and able to meet many proud U.S representatives. In 2017, the Daytona Beach News Journal wrote a 6-column article on his musical career and journey from the Bahamas when he made history as a B-CU student after winning top prizes at the James A. Hefner H.B.C.U Piano Competition which gained national attention in the U.S.
While Stevens’ undergraduate career was quite successful, he faced many adversities including homelessness post-graduation. He wanted to go to Manhattan School of Music to further his studies at the graduate level after learning that his idol, pianist Olga Kern and 2001 Van Cliburn Piano Competition Winner, taught there. After working for several months in Florida making very little as a private piano teacher:
“For the second time, I had put everything on the line, and traveled to New York, pursuing this dream,” he said.
New York, was always where he envisioned himself studying music, playing at Carnegie Hall and becoming a world-renowned pianist. Stevens arrived in New York in August 2018 hoping to be accepted to the school—but he didn’t get in. Though the blow caused him to question if he wanted to continue with music and life, he vowed to not give up on school and to not take no for an answer. The next time he would be able to audition for the school would be in March 2019, and with no place to go, he slept in his car.
“After staying some time in my car, I went to a homeless shelter,” he explained. “It was really hard, you know, not having any money, which eventually, because I couldn’t keep up with the payments from my car, I ended up losing my car as well. It was a scary experience and it was really tough.”
Stevens re-applied and auditioned to Manhattan School of Music and additionally applied to Hunter College, and Columbia University, an Ivy-league school. He was accepted into all three.
“When I found out I got into Manhattan School of Music, I just started crying because I remember all of the pain, hurt and embarrassment I endured to get to this place and all the faith and perseverance it took and now finally, I’m able to live my dream as I study at one of the greatest international conservatories.”
Stevens plans to enroll into a 3-year dual-degree program between Manhattan School of Music and Columbia University which will give him a Master of Arts in Classical Piano Performance and a Master of Arts in Music Education, which he plans to use to impact the world of music and arts education.
Stevens has goals of opening his own performing arts schools, competitions, and festivals and establishing scholarship funds and foundations for deserving students like him who have dreams but need financial support.
Stevens’ story has gained global attention attracting U.S and Bahamian news networks, and television shows to his monumental success story of overcoming unbeatable odds to realize one’s dream. Now This News, that comes from the founders of the Huffington Post and who has millions of followers world-wide, has aired Stevens’ story on video which is now trending online.
“I want to inspire people to relentlessly pursue their dreams and to never take no for an answer. I want to show the world what can come from the Bahamas and even though we may be small in size, we’re big in talent, spirit and culture and we’re certainly a force to be reckoned with.”
Stevens is still raising funds for his education as he pushes to make his dreams a reality. You can support his efforts and follow his progress by using the following handles:
Go Fund Me Link: https://www.gofundme.com/help-elijah-study-at-his-dream-school
