Berklee Online’s Class of 2026: Lessons Conclude, and Lessons Continue

Members of Berklee Online’s 2026 Graduating Class Share the Stories That Led to Their Ongoing Achievements.

Berklee’s 2026 Commencement is taking place on May 9, which is a big deal for most graduating students, but is an especially big deal for Berklee Online students. Some are traveling to Boston for the first time to walk across the stage, some are closing the chapter on decades of work toward their degrees, and some are continuing with new graduate studies with Berklee right after they receive their undergraduate diplomas. We are sharing the stories of six members of the Class of 2026, who range in age, experience, and degree programs. However, what they all share is their desire to keep on achieving, and keep on learning. 

Meriem Ben Amor

Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and originally from Tunisia, North Africa, Meriem Ben Amor is graduating with her degree in Electronic Music Production and Sound Design. She came to Berklee Online with years of experience in electronic engineering and performing in bands from various cultural backgrounds, singing in multiple languages such as Arabic, French, Spanish, and English. She initially enrolled at Berklee Online to learn how to produce her own demos, and one course snowballed into a certificate, which then became a degree program. 

“I met a few inspiring students who told me they are doing the entire degree, and because I saw they were able to do it, having a family and other jobs and everything, then I thought I can do it, and I started slowly finishing the degree,” she says. 

Outside of Berklee Online, she is raising two young children, managing a household, and building her career as an independent artist. Over the course of her studies, she released multiple albums, secured grants and sponsorships, and gradually took on a more active role in her own production process, moving from working with outside studios to managing entire projects herself.

“I learned vocal production from really life-changing instructors,” says Meriem, who references Prince Charles Alexander and Erin Barra. “There are a few courses that I took at Berklee, which changed the way I listened to music completely. So I now understand mixing and mastering and the entire cycle: how to start a project, and how to finish it completely, from the first idea to release. If someone had told me five years ago I would be able to do that, I’d say it was impossible.” 

That shift is what she’s most proud of. As she prepares to attend Commencement in Boston with her family, she’s also already enrolled in Berklee Online’s Music Production master’s program.

“The skill to record and produce by myself actually made my creativity more open,” she says. “I’m a different songwriter now. I’m a different performer now. Even when I sing live, I sing differently because now I know the dynamics of recording vocals, how things work. It’s life changing. I’m not exaggerating when I say that.”

Hannah Crouch

After beginning her studies on Berklee’s Boston campus, Hannah Crouch transitioned to Berklee Online through the Degree Completion program and is now graduating with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Songwriting and Producing Music. 

“It honestly was like a breath of fresh air, and it was so nice because the transition was seamless,” says Hannah, who moved back to Michigan. “I didn’t miss a beat. Since being with Berklee Online, I have had so much extra time to pursue my craft outside of school, which has been so great.” 

Hannah teaches at two different music schools, performs a weekly paid gig with a cover band called the Heartbeats, and is writing and producing her own music project under the name Alexis Blue. She applied what she learned in her courses directly to her music, including her single “Ashes and Embers,” which grew out of a Berklee Online assignment. She says she is most proud of the progress she has made as a producer. 

“I’m getting straight into the production and the mixing, and I’m even learning about mastering, and I’m getting to dive really deep into these subjects, which is what I really came to Berklee to do in the first place,” she says.

Hannah is attending Commencement in Boston and will get to see her classmates from both her time on campus and with Berklee Online. 

“I’m excited to get to enjoy the city for what it is, almost like I’m a tourist again, but also getting to reconnect with all of my classmates,” she says. “I’ve met a bunch of people through Berklee Online that I’m getting to meet back up with in person. Some of them for the first time, which is super cool.”

Jerico Del Castillo

Jerico Del Castillo is graduating with his bachelor’s degree in Guitar Performance after eight years studying with Berklee Online part-time, while serving in the Guam Army National Guard and in the Guam Army National Guard’s 721st Army Band. He was able to utilize his VA benefits with the help of Berklee Online’s Military Affairs team.   

“The primary reason that I joined the military was that I was able to join as an Army musician,” he says. “I used the Army Tuition Assistance and Federal Tuition Assistance Fund to be able to fund the majority of my credits to attend Berklee Online. So, it was twofold: I wanted to play music in the Army and to be able to go to school practically for free. So I checked off both, being able to serve our nation and my island.”

Born and raised in Guam as a first-generation American Filipino, Jerico is the first in his family to earn a bachelor’s degree. His parents will be traveling from Guam to Boston to celebrate with him. He says that his parents inspired him to keep going, even when it was difficult to balance his military responsibilities and his coursework. 

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“I wasn’t afraid to work hard for it,” he says, “especially because my parents worked so hard to be able to move their entire life to move into another country, naturalize into it, and be a citizen of it. So, it really bred a lot of hard work in my blood.”

Looking ahead, Jerico plans to continue building his career in the Army and as a musician. He recently became a warrant officer, which allows him to become bandmaster for the 721st Army Band. He is currently training at the Army School of Music in Virginia and will head to Commencement from there.

“I’m just so thankful that I didn’t give up,” says Jerico. “There were so many times that I was so tired, I could have easily just stopped everything. I could have just dropped out. So, I’m most proud of not giving up, not accepting defeat, and being able to achieve greatness, not just as a gigging military musician but now as a person who has a degree in guitar performance.”

Mattie Diaz

Mattie Diaz from Acton, MA, has always loved music but says she was never sure how she could turn it into a career. That changed when she discovered Berklee Online’s Music Business program, which allowed her to focus on journalism and research. 

“I realized there’s a place for me to learn everything I needed to know about the industry with a more business-focused mindset to still be a part of it, even without being a musician myself,” she says.

Mattie lived at home with her family while pursuing her studies, where she worked at a local bakery and also built experience writing concert and album reviews for various publications. Her capstone project explored the growth of the Latin American music market and the opportunities it presents for artists worldwide. 

“I became really interested in learning about different global markets and how artists from the US can take advantage and break into those markets that typically have been overlooked in the music industry,” she says. “Latin America is super interesting because they’ve had a lot of recent digitalization and growth. Lots of artists there have broken into the US and vice versa. So I wanted to explore how those markets have evolved within the twenty-first century.”

Now, as she prepares to travel just an hour to attend Commencement in Boston, Mattie is already focused on the longer journey ahead. This fall, she is starting a master’s degree program in Global Entertainment and Music Business at Berklee’s Valencia campus. She looks forward to going back to Spain, which she considers one of her favorite places to travel. 

“I knew that I really wanted to continue my studies with Berklee, but I was looking to step a little more out of my comfort zone,” she says, “so then that was how I ended up finding the Valencia program, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is just a perfect fit for me.’”

Karen Watanabe

Karen Watanabe, originally from Canada and now based in Hawaii, first pursued music studies more than 30 years ago, stepping in and out of programs as life pulled her in different directions. Over time, music remained a constant, even as her career and personal responsibilities shifted. As a piano teacher, she felt compelled to complete her degree so that she could expand her repertoire and provide an even more enriching experience for her students. Now she is graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance. 

“I thought, ‘You know what? I left this on hold too long. I’m in a different country. I’m in a different place, a different time. Maybe I should go back and do this. This time I better not give up. I’ve got to finish this.’” 

During her time in the piano program, Karen explored jazz and contemporary styles that were a change-up from her classical music background. She started playing music by Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson, names she knew but never studied, and that translated directly into her work with students. 

“The biggest thing is the new repertoires that I learned, like jazz and pop, and my intention was to take it and let the young people learn from that, too,” she says. “To hear something new that they were able to play and perform; I will put them in a student recital, and they play it, and they really enjoyed learning jazz too, so that was rewarding.”

Karen will be traveling from Hawaii to Boston for Commencement, where she looks forward to meeting with her piano instructor, Hey Rim Jeon. She is considering pursuing her master’s degree in music education, but for now, she is prioritizing teaching piano. 

“I want to continue with what I’m doing here with teaching, and I think that’s my calling for now,” she says. 

Paul Zarvis

At age 67, Paul Zarvis is preparing to graduate with his degree in Music Production, decades after he started his first semester on Berklee’s Boston campus. In 1985, he had a full scholarship, but his life took some detours, which are detailed in a 2023 Take Note profile from when he first started at Berklee Online through the Degree Completion program. Paul is finishing up his final courses while working full-time for the Department of State in Albany, NY. 

“Berklee has been an amazing journey, and it still is,” says Paul. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself after work now…Well, actually, I do. I’m going to get to work on sync licensing.” 

Three years after starting his degree program, Paul’s post-graduation goal remains the same: working for Gramercy Post, a post-production studio in New York City. He enjoys writing music for film, TV, and advertising, as well as doing Foley work. He gives his Berklee instructors credit for getting him to this point. 

“For a guy my age, starting out in Berklee when I did, and being able to grow with these teachers, like Susan Rogers, and Prince Charles Alexander, and Rich Mendelson, and Carlos Arana, and Jason Stokes, these people have Grammys, and they’re the best. That was a gift to me. I’m so appreciative of being able to work with that caliber of instructor. Because when I started, I didn’t even know how to open Pro Tools and make a track.”

Paul wanted to shout-out Jason Stokes in particular, who would jump on the phone with him on weekends to walk him through Pro Tools when he was first learning the program. But Paul also acknowledges that it was his own discipline and tenacity that got him here.

“I didn’t give up when the math was killing me, I didn’t give up through any of it,” he says. “I applied myself and stuck to it. Because in the past, there had been times where I would have said, ‘You know what? No, I’m tired. I’m just going to keep playing rock ‘n’ roll in bands.’ I’m most proud of the fact that I did this curriculum. I’ll be graduating with honors, and the fact that I learned and retained so much. I was worried that, you know, sometimes I’m forgetful and everything, but it turns out I’m only forgetful about things that are not needed.”

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