LATROBE, PA – Leslie Soriano once wondered if she would fit in with her classmates at Saint Vincent College. Four years later, however, Soriano realizes she made the right college choice—and has literally become the leader of the band.
Soriano, a senior health science major from Bowie, Maryland, is wrapping up her third and final year as drum major of the Saint Vincent marching band. She also is involved in several other groups on campus and is on track to graduate in May.
“It’s kind of crazy when you think about it,” Soriano said with a grin. “It amazes me, seeing where I started as a freshman—the one girl in the band who was like, ‘Yeah, I want to quit”—to now being the person who makes sure other people don't quit.”
When she arrived at Saint Vincent, Soriano hadn’t played in a band for several years and had never been a drum major. But taking on that leadership role wasn’t the only thing that gave her pause. A Mexican American student from Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, Maryland, Soriano acknowledged she initially struggled to find her comfort zone 200 miles away from her home and family.
A turning point happened during Soriano’s freshman year when Keila Lobos-Hernandez, C’21, G’23, then a graduate assistant in the Office of Multicultural Student Life, invited her to join a group of Saint Vincent students going to an academic convention in Connecticut. Soriano jumped into the mix and never looked back.
“That initial push to get involved and do stuff on campus changed everything for me,” Soriano said. “I was like, ‘I found my people and now I know what I can do.’ I remember telling Keila that my whole purpose of moving out here was to build a new sense for myself—where I belong, where I can fit in—and if I have to create it, then I'll create it.”
Soriano learned to play clarinet in middle school but stepped away from the instrument during her high school years because Cristo Rey doesn’t have a band program. When she heard that Saint Vincent had a band, Soriano was interested, yet hesitant.
“I wasn’t very good,” she said with a laugh. “At every practice, I was like, “I’m quitting. I don’t want to do this anymore.’ But the band director, Dr. Sean Durkin, was very welcoming.”
Soriano stuck it out. When the drum major position came open, she applied and got the role as a sophomore. It took a while for Soriano to learn how to conduct, but having the support or her band mates made things easier.
When Soriano joined, the marching band had fewer than a dozen members and was trying to rev up again after the pandemic. Durkin was in his first year as director. It was a dedicated group, but inexperienced and a marching band in name only. “Because we were all kind of learning, we didn't march on the field when we played,” Soriano said. “We just stood in rows and performed.”
Now, the band has rebranded itself and is adding members. It plays at festivals and performs for local high schools. And, most importantly, it marches onto Chuck Noll field for its halftime show during football games.
“It was a lot of hard work to get here, and I’m proud of what it’s become,” Soriano said. “I know I'm going to keep coming back here [after graduation] for homecoming because the marching band was where everything started for me. It was the first group where I felt welcomed.”
The band is not the only thing on campus that keeps Soriano busy. She is active with the Uniting People Club, the Activities Programming Board, SVC Esports and Alpha Lamba Delta national honors society. She had a work-study job with the Office of Multicultural Student Life and is a third-year prefect in Rooney Hall. Last fall, Soriano was part of the 2024 homecoming court.
“Leslie immersed herself in campus life,” said Dwight Collins, C’23, a recruitment assistant at Saint Vincent College “Her time here has been marked by her significant contributions, including fostering a welcoming environment, cheering on her peers and uplifting others with her infectious laughter and radiant smile.”
Photos: Leslie Soriano
