Our New Music Therapy Interns-Marissa and Jessica!

Marissa is completing her Bachelor’s in Music Therapy at the University of Iowa (Go Hawks!). She is from Northwest Iowa and enjoys all things midwestern. Marissa’s primary instrument is viola, but she also plays guitar, piano, clarinet, and baritone saxophone! In her free time, she enjoys getting out of the house and exploring San Francisco with a friend or two. Some of her favorite places (so far) include the Palace of Fine Arts, Salesforce Park, and Alta Plaza Park. When she’s not gallivanting around the beautiful city, she can be found reading a book, baking cookies, or playing video games (she’s a big Zelda fan). Marissa is so excited to learn from and work with the children and families at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital!

Some favorites:

Color: green

Food: chocolate chip cookies

Coffee drink: caramel latte

Current favorite song: “About You” by The 1975

All-time favorite song: “You Are My Sunshine”

Musical artists: The 1975, Hippo Campus, Mitski, Taylor Swift (it’s hard to choose just one!)

Jessica is currently pursuing a master's in music therapy at the University of the Pacific. She is from the San Gabriel Valley area down in Southern California. She holds a bachelor’s in human development and a minor in music from CSU Long Beach. Jessica started playing piano when she was four years old, has worked as a piano instructor, and enjoys jamming out to music with friends. She loves discovering different genres of music; some favorites include jazz, pop, R&B, soundtracks, and K-pop. In her free time, Jessica can be found trying new boba and coffee shops, dog watching, or on the hunt for the best dad joke. She is excited to be in San Francisco and build relationships with the patients and families here at Benioff Children’s Hospital!

Are you interested in applying to our internship? Learn about it on our information page!