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Helen Sarikulaya music production major
Jacob Kisamore

Rising Phoenix by Jacob Kisamore

The Right Note: Sarikulaya Pursuing Career In Music

ELON, N.C. The sound of Helen Sarikulaya hitting forehands at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center is always sweet music to the ears of the home crowd. A conductor of symphonious ground strokes on the court, the Elon University women's tennis sophomore produces impressive music off the court too.    

Sarikulaya has been around music her whole life and is now a music major at Elon. Growing up in Thailand, Sarikulaya's mother was a singer. She quickly discovered a love for singing herself that has blossomed into something more. 

"I would sing with other people and that's when I figured out I really wanted to do more than just sing," Sarikulaya said. "I want to become a producer when I grow up, or a songwriter. That's my pathway." 

While Sarikulaya is following in her mother's footsteps in music, she is forging a new path for her family in tennis, as neither of her parents ever played the sport. Sarikulaya began playing at 11 years old and it was in high school where she realized she wanted to play at the college level. 

Sarikulaya's dad coached her for the first four years of her tennis career. A former basketball player at UNLV, he did not have much of a tennis background but he helped push Helen into the sport. 


"My dad reminds me of Richard Williams," Sarikulaya laughed. "He would go to YouTube, he would read through articles and magazines. He did everything he could to make sure I could get what I want in the future."

"It's really funny because my dad pushes me in tennis and my mom pushes me in music, so there's a balance between them," Sarikualaya added. 

As Sarikulaya began looking at colleges, she was more focused on finding a place where she could have a tennis scholarship than a school that had a music production program. Elon was not on her radar until one of her academy coaches recommended that she take a visit to the school. 

When she stepped foot on campus, Sarikulaya said she "automatically fell in love with the school." As she began to fall for the beauty of Elon and the school's tennis program, she began to learn about the music production program. 

Finding the balance between high-level tennis and a comprehensive music production program was music to Sarikulaya's ears. 

"It's really difficult to find a balance between the two," Sarikulaya said. "When I found this music production and recording arts program, and then the tennis here and the level of it, I was like, 'Wow, I want to come to this school.'"
 
Sarikulaya described Elon's music production program as impressive and comprehensive, providing the details she will need to pursue a career in music. She also appreciates the feedback she receives on projects from the program's faculty, who have industry experience. 

In her classes, Sarikulaya has had the opportunity to produce original songs. This spring, she wrote and recorded a song, which she said has been her favorite project in the program thus far, as she learned about the studio and what it takes to produce a song from beginning to end. 

Developing original songs is Sarikulaya's passion and she loves being able to make her own music for the program. She described her preferred genre as pop/EDM and wants to write songs that resonate with listeners.  

"I want people to hear my music and be like, 'Oh my God, this is something I can relate to,'" Sarikulaya said. "When I release my songs, I just hope they can relate to them and that if like someone comes up to me, they're like, 'Your song really means a lot to me."

Music production can be time-consuming and requires a strong dedication to the craft. Another challenging aspect of music production is reserving times for the recording studio. For her most recent class project, Sarikulaya had to book the studio from 4-7 a.m. as it was the only available time that fit her schedule. 

"I waited to do it after the season because that wouldn't be good," Sarikulaya laughed. 

Although not many student-athletes at Elon pursue music as a major, Sarikulaya is chasing her passion and hopes to inspire future student-athletes to follow in her footsteps. 

"People are like, "Why would you do that? It's never going to work, it's too difficult to balance,' but I think I can do it," Sarikulaya said. "I'm going to prove to a lot of people that just because I'm a student-athlete, I fit in the music industry. I fit in the major here. I know that I can do both at the same time, even if it's going to be a challenge, but it's what makes me happy."

Sarikulaya's dream is to one day work at big recording labels. However, she will never forget her roots in music and how it has helped create a special bond between herself and her mother.

"She's the one that pushed me into music, even though I loved it. We always love to sing together, even though she thinks she's the better singer," Sarikulaya laughed. "She'll do whatever it takes to make sure that I'm singing correctly or I'm getting the music that I need. She loves music and she'll support me to expand my life with music." 
 
'Rising Phoenix' is a new student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on Twitter (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Jacob Kisamore at jkisamore@elon.edu.
 --ELON--
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Players Mentioned

Helen Sarikulaya

Helen Sarikulaya

5' 3"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Helen Sarikulaya

Helen Sarikulaya

5' 3"
Sophomore