![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/11\/PKS_music-student-Jerome-Porter-e1764186662237.jpg\")
<\/a>Under the bright stage lights, Jerome Porter clutched his trumpet, heart pounding as the first notes of his original composition, Walk on a Rainy Street, filled the hall. It was his freshman year, the first time he\u2019d ever performed one of his own songs for a live audience.<\/p>\n\u201cI remember looking down at the beginning of it, just thinking, this is really happening,\u201d Jerome said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have gotten this opportunity anywhere else. This was the right step. This is where I need to be.\u201d That moment marked the beginning of Jerome\u2019s journey not just as a musician, but as an artist finding his voice at UW-Parkside.<\/p>\n
Russ Johnson, a Professor of Jazz in the UW-Parkside Music Department, has known Jerome since his days as a promising high school musician. \u201cIf I had to describe Jerome in one word, it would be creativity. We try to help nurture that, but it\u2019s so internal to him that we just have to give him space to flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born in Chicago and raised in Kenosha, Jerome grew up surrounded by music. \u201cMy mom would play music while cleaning or whenever she felt like it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt just stuck with me; it became part of my personality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jerome\u2019s passion for sound began in elementary school. What started as a hesitant experiment soon grew into a decade-long dedication. By high school, Jerome was performing in jazz and concert bands and discovering his love for composition. When choosing a college, he looked for a place where he could expand that creative spark. \u201cParkside offered more of what I wanted, the composition aspect, actually being able to write music. So I made the decision to come here,\u201d Jerome explained.<\/p>\n
Johnson explains that,while Jerome is naturally a gifted musician, UW-Parkside has provided a supportive and nurturing environment to empower Jerome to refine his raw musical talent. \u201cI could not imagine a better fit for Jerome on the path that he\u2019s on. I think one thing that we\u2019re good at as a department is seeing Jerome for who he is and what he brings to the table. We foster his individuality and help him grow into the artist he\u2019s meant to be,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
Jerome\u2019s time at Parkside has been filled with opportunities, performances, collaborations, and personal growth. \u201cThere are so many resources here. You just have to go out there and take them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Johnson praises Jerome for his ambition and initiative. \u201cJerome has had so many opportunities here, and to his credit, he\u2019s jumped into all of them. That\u2019s not something every student does. It\u2019s all about building musicianship and giving them experiences that prepare them for success down the road,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
One early highlight was that freshman-year concert, but it wouldn\u2019t be his last major performance. Jerome has since composed and performed original pieces for campus events, including UW-Parkside\u2019s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.<\/p>\n
Johnson reflects on witnessing Jerome\u2019s growth firsthand. \u201cWatching Jerome walk up to the microphone at the MLK Celebration to discuss his composition, I had tears in my eyes. You could see that confidence and growth. Some of that comes with age, but a lot of it comes from the opportunities he\u2019s had here that have fostered that belief in himself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
His sophomore-year piece, The Birth of Freedom, became one of his proudest accomplishments. \u201cIt was about the idea that freedom exists, but it won\u2019t if you don\u2019t go after it,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople came up to me afterward and told me how much it moved them. That\u2019s all I ever want, for people to feel something from my music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jerome\u2019s professors have played a major role in his development. He credits mentors like Russ Johnson, Laura Rexroth, and Ayis Lardi, as well as the supportive faculty in the music department. \u201cThe music department feels like home to me,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone is welcoming. If I ever need anything, I can just talk to someone there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside of music, Jerome found another home in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. \u201cEvery time I go there, I feel welcome,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve given me opportunities to perform, and they make me feel like I belong.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Jerome, UW-Parkside represents much more than academics; it represents growth. \u201cParkside to me means growth, patience, and improvement,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s that desire to keep going when things get tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cJerome is the definition of resilience. There have been battles he\u2019s faced as a student, but he\u2019s learned to deal with those things more quickly, to get ahead of them rather than let them weigh him down,\u201d Johnson asserts.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s faced challenges, from financial uncertainty to self-doubt, but the university community helped him navigate both. With support from financial aid staff and mentors like Wendy Johnson, Jerome was able to secure grants and scholarships to make college possible. \u201cThey really worked with me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been smooth sailing, and I\u2019m very appreciative.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through Parkside, he\u2019s also found ways to manage emotional challenges and build confidence. \u201cPeople here listen and help you get through it,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve learned to be patient with myself, and to be unapologetic about who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson asserts that, as inspiring as Jerome\u2019s personal Growth has been, he has also affected change among UW-Parkside\u2019s faculty and programs. \u201cPart of what makes Jerome\u2019s story so powerful is that he\u2019s helped guide us as a department; he\u2019s shown us what our program can be. In many ways, he\u2019s helping us shape who we want to be for future students,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Jerome plans to graduate in 2027 with a degree in contemporary commercial music and a concentration in composition. From there, he hopes to take his music beyond the classroom to stages, studios, and airwaves. \u201cMy goal is to get my music known and released to get it on the radio,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to build my brand, get my own studio, and just keep creating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parkside, he says, has given him the tools and the confidence to make those dreams real. \u201cIt\u2019s preparing me for what the real world has coming,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s also made me feel like it\u2019s manageable, like my goals are actually within reach.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked what advice he\u2019d give to future students, Jerome smiled before answering. \u201cBe yourself,\u201d he said. \u201cGo out there and get those opportunities. Be patient with yourself, your future self will thank you.\u201d Since its founding in 1968, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has been a trusted partner for the region\u2019s higher educational needs, empowering students to thrive, advancing applied knowledge, and developing talent for the future. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as certificates and pre-professional programs, designed to foster personal and professional growth through real-world and impactful learning experiences. Located in the dynamic Chicago-Milwaukee corridor, UW-Parkside offers unmatched access to world-class internships, professional networks, and endless career-building opportunities, placing students at the center of it all.<\/i><\/p>\n Written by UW-Parkside<\/p>\n
\nJohnson expressed his amazement at who Jerome is not only as a well-rounded musician, but also as a person. \u201cHe\u2019s special. I can\u2019t wait to see who he becomes as a human being as well as a musician, because they\u2019re both going to be fantastic. And being a great human being comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>
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