Classmate profile

No one knows the comfort of a pen, a piano, and a notebook like Sierra Hultgren.

Singer and songwriter from the Bay Area, Sierra is an exceptional student at San Jose State University who enjoys using her spiritual experiences with love as inspiration for her indie-pop poetry. 

Sierra started learning piano at 8-years-old. 

After just two years of practice, she realized that she could also sing along to the notes. 

She practiced years on years creating melodies and writing poems. 

Sierra would write her poems at night before bed because it would help her review her day and prepare for the next. 

“Songwriting really helps me process my emotions in a way that’s meaningful and that I can express to others, “ Sierra said. 

But Sierra does not typically share her songs with just anyone. 

In fact, Sierra keeps most of her poems private as she feels they are very personal and close to heart.

Her brother, Jason Hultgren, noted , “She does not share her creativity too often with people outside her close friends, but her messages are very thought provoking and up-lifting.” 

In addition, Sierra said she is shy about her music because she has an ear for it, and thus can tell if her songs are really up to par. 

As of today, Sierra has written more than a hundred songs, but deems only a few of them “good.”

Though not a lot of her songs are available for everyone, the ones she did share with her brother and her friends helped them think about their own relationships with God or their significant other. 

Sierra is Christian and is regularly active within the community. 

She has been to Hawaii and the Philippines with her church community, both of which were places where she encountered spiritual revelations that solidified her faith and inspired her music. 

Sierra also wrote about her past experience in a relationship where her faith was in question due to the differentiating values between her and her boyfriend. 

Nevertheless, going through this time allowed her to produce more songs and crystalize her beliefs.

“It was not just a relationship for me, but a time of revelation about what I believe as countless things happened to prove he’s really there, “ Sierra revealed. 

Many friends and family of Sierra anticipate she will continue producing songs and hopefully even share them. 

Sierra’s ability to craft personal experiences into thoughtful lyrics is a talent that really strikes a chord.