Sigma Alpha Iota

16 Spring 2026 • sai-national.org SAI Philanries, Inc. By Priscilla Cordero I learned how to DJ thanks to SAI. When a friend of mine shared her journey online of learning to DJ, something I've wanted to learn since I was young, I thought to myself, "I'd like to do that too!" My friend Daisha, a friend from college, had been transparent about her DJ journey, and as I was rooting for her, I knew I had to follow the same path as well. Thankfully, in her transparency she shared information about her DJ class, the school, and frequent updates. A few seasons went by where I said to myself, "Not right now, but soon." When the time was right, as an advocate for Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. grants—having been a previous grant recipient—I recalled being eligible again. I asked my chapter sisters if I should make an effort to apply. With their support, I put in an application explaining how this would positively impact my life as a professional in the arts—and received one! Since beginning my DJ course, my life has embarked on a sweet chapter of musical exploration. I believe it to be a testament to just how continuously evolving and transformative a personal relationship with music can be. From technical skill development (i.e. actually learning how to go from song to song/learning my way around a DJ controller) to redefining listening habits (expanding where and how I listen to music) and opening up to new ways of sharing, I have new ways of experiencing and relating to music. Located in Newark, New Jersey (which is our state's largest city and one of our largest arts hubs), cofounders Gonzalo Silva and Dana Johnson launched Grounded Music Education, a school for DJing, music production, and music technology. Since their beginning in 2022, they have graduated fourteen cohorts of students with the culmination of a final exam: a fifteen-minute set in front of a live audience. I graduated with Class 12, and while many of their classes have women in them, this class had exclusively women! My friend Daisha stepped in to co-teach our class to support. I was thrilled to be learning alongside a diverse group of women, all passionate about music. Our class began in January and our final took place on an exciting day for an all-women class: International Women's Day, March 8! It was a sweet moment of celebrating five emerging women DJs. Inspired by the moment, I wanted to support my class with a gift. A friend of mine, Flisadam Pointer, wrote a book titled Sweet Sounds: The ABCs of Black Women in Music, and I wished to gift my classmates a copy of her book. When I told her about it, she didn't let me purchase the books. She made bags for each graduate that included the book and a hometown heroes sticker pack featuring Jersey music legends like Sarah Vaughn, Whitney Houston, and Queen Latifah. Along with the help of some friends, we made friendship bracelets for each graduate with her DJ name on it, adding to this moment of affirming these emerging curators of sound. Since then, I've seen my classmates grow into DJs and curators. Many have programmed their own events and booked gigs, creating income through music. Personally, I've learned a lot about DJing, music tech, the music industry, and more. I've been invited to shadow fellow DJs at their gigs and had some of my own. There is an active network for the Grounded Music Education alumni with many shared opportunities. Shortly after my graduation, I realized another Grounded graduate from a previous class was a sister of Sigma Alpha Iota as well! Danielle, an initiate of Delta Nu at Howard University, is also known as DJ Honest D. I was excited to share with her how our sisterhood had supported me with a grant to take the class. Highlights of the year have included shadowing many seasoned DJs at community events. These events include a women entrepreneurs' networking night, where I shadowed and helped out my fellow Grounded alum DJ Brighter Daze, and an introduction for me into corporate DJing. I also had my first I N T R O D U C I N G DJ Priscy Plays Priscilla Cordero, a.k.a. Priscilla Cordero, a.k.a. DJ Priscy Plays DJ Priscy Plays

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