Class of 2001

CAROLINE KOVAS strums her way to Music City USA.

Per the advice of the Dartmouth career services office, Kovas sat down in Collis her senior fall and made a list of all of the things she loved doing. "The one thing that had the most positive connotations," she says, "was performing with The Decibelles. Every time I would go into rehearsal, no matter how stressed or upset I was, I would walk out of my two hours of singing with a smile on my face. I knew that performing was my passion, and I had to listen to it." After a brief stint studying acting in New York City, Kovas picked up the guitar, started writing songs, put together a band and produced a demo CD (hear her at http://carolinekovas.com/music.php). She was recently contacted about licensing her songs for television and film, and her song "Suddenly" was named a finalist in the VHI Song of the Year competition.

With a recent relocation to Nashville—because her music has a self- described "country-infused style"—Kovas is busy pursuing a record deal and hoping to tour. With the crowds she plays for now, "it's about 70 percent friends and 30 percent new faces. The challenging and exhilarating part is winning that 30 percent; watching people you don't know respond to your music in a positive way is a remarkable feeling," she says.