When senior Leo Dworsky heard he had won a highly selective music scholarship, his first priority was celebrating with his family.

“I was elated,” Dworsky said. “My family and I, we went and got dessert at the grocery store and we just had a fun time.”

Dworsky won both the Groth Music Scholarship and the Thursday Musical Scholarship under the high school voice category. Both scholarships will help him pursue his degree in music at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities, where he plans on attending in the fall.

Senior Annica Schultz, a friend of Dworsky, said she fully expected Dworsky to win the scholarships due to his talent and charisma.

“Leo has the best energy, and I know that anyone who will talk to him can see that right off the bat,” Schultz said. “I feel like not only his voice but also his personality won him the scholarships.”

According to Dworsky, the scholarships will not only relieve a major financial burden, but also lay out a career path for him due to the connections he made during applications and auditions.

“Those connections are very important because as you go into graduate school, you’re going to need references and you’re going to need people that are going to vouch for you,” Dworsky said. “I feel like those scholarships kind of open a gate to that in a way.”

In addition to being talented, according to Schultz, Dworsky also has the traits to succeed musically due to his ability to network and self-advocate.

“His willingness to talk to people and branch out (will help him be successful),” Schultz said. “In music and those types of fields, you really have to make connections and he’s so good at doing that and making people feel like he genuinely wants to be friends with you and get to know you.”

For Dworsky, pursuing music as a career is ultimately doing what he loves, and doing what makes himself and others happy.

“I know I have talent, and I don’t want to waste a talent that can really help make the world a better place,” Dworsky said.

For more information on Dworsky’s music, visit his Instagram, @leodworskymusic.