In October, Jay-Era boarded a plane in Albany and endured a 7-hour flight across the country to attend the 2021 YOLA National Symposium. When she arrived at LAX, she got to see her friends who flew in from New York City, Florida, Texas, Maryland, and Georgia. "We are like a family," said Jay-Era. "We all made bonds and amazing memories with each other, which will last forever." While in town, Jay-Era got to explore downtown L.A. and the Universal CityWalk, a three-block entertainment, dining, and shopping promenade near West Hollywood. After a trip to the beach, Jay-Era and her friends went to see Gustavo Dudamel conduct the L.A. Philharmonic at the premiere of Trumpet Fantasy by Alt-rock bassist Steve Mackey. After the concert, she got the chance to meet the composer and took pictures with members of the L.A. Philharmonic.
Like ESYO, YOLA is "serious fun." Jay-Era and the 29 other members of the YOLA National Institute were there to discuss the Symposiums 2021 theme, Change. They were the only youth panelists at the conference and played an important role in the discussions. Surrounded by top educators from across the country, "we talked about what type of changes we want to see in the field of music and for the future of youth," said Jay-Era.