Have you ever done something when you were young that you knew was going to impact the rest of your life? Few people realize it at the time, but it is something that happens to everyone at some point in their lives. Meet Roberto Ayala. When he entered the drum corps world ten years ago, he had no idea just how much the activity would impact his life.

Roberto was a baritone player who marched with Spirit of Newark, East Coast Jazz, and in 2008, auditioned for and earned a spot on the Jersey Surf horn line. Although he had several years of experience in competition, he didn’t know what to expect from the World-Class corps. He was pleasantly surprised to find that although the audition process tested his skills, everyone was so comfortable with each other. After earning his spot, he became a part of a family that, to this day, still stays with him.

Although Roberto spent much of his pre-graduation days with music, he did not choose music as his career path. He went to the Anthem Institute for graphic design, where he was able to fuel his artistic skills with a program that helped him along the way. In part, it was the hard work of the his experience with drum corps that helped him along with his success. Drum corps, especially Surf, teaches more than just music. It’s structure enables anyone to learn time life skills that become life-long habits. “Drum corps taught me that I always had more to give,” said Ayala. “While I always gave it my all, looking back on my years spent marching, I can see now that there was always just a little bit more left in me to give to my goals.”

So what’s in store for Roberto now? Working for Color Graphics in Belleville, he spends his days working on designs for clients. In addition to that, he also designs under his own name, doing a spin off of graffiti. This year, however, Roberto has designed something to pay homage to his drum corps days with a t-shirt design that will benefit hurricane relief efforts. It will be available through the Jersey Surf, who has many members that were impacted by Hurricane Sandy last fall.

When asked about working for Surf in the future, Roberto smiled. “Yes,” he said. “The best place to work is always home, which is drum corps for me.” With that feeling, good memories are always quick to come to mind. So what is Ayala’s? “Decorating shirts to be dedicated to staff members,” he recalled fondly. “Harrison was always a huge part of my success in Surf at my age out, so it was fun to be able to give something, however little, back to him. It didn’t hurt,” he added, “that he got a kick out of it. So don’t be afraid to audition just because it seems intimidating, it may just be the thing that gives you an edge in life.”

Roberto is just one of many drum corps alumni who have their experiences to thank in part to their success in life. If you are an alumni of the Jersey Surf, email your stories to Kerry Joy at kerry.the.joy@gmail.com to find out how you can be featured as a success story of the corps!