More Than a Title: The Man Behind Mr. USU

LOGAN, Utah — Henry Silva, a sophomore studying music therapy at the Caine College of the Arts, won the title of Mr. USU at the 2024 pageant. However, his story is more than just a title. It’s a story of resilience, creativity and a passion for healing through music.

It took years of hard work and determination for Silva to make his ambitions of studying in the United States a reality.

“My first plan was to go to BYU,” Silva said. “But it took me seven years to get money to come here. I had to work for two seasons in a cruise ship — two seasons of seven months — because my currency is five times less than the dollar.”

When Silva first came to the U.S., he started with the BYU Pathway program before getting accepted to BYU Idaho. By the time his visa arrived two years later, Silva decided to go to Ensign College instead.

“I didn’t want to go to Idaho,” Silva said. “I was much more settled in Salt Lake. So I went to Ensign College and stayed there for two semesters.”

Silva explored different educational fields to find the best fit.

“I tried studying business, marketing and programming — things I liked but wasn’t passionate about like music,” Silva said. “Then I was planning to do a major in psychology at BYU Provo with a minor in music, and I wanted to use music in my own therapy.”

Later, while attending Ensign College, Silva learned about music therapy from a senior in Utah State University’s music therapy program.

“I didn’t know music therapy had existed all that time. So, I got to the point where I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to try to get into the program,’” Silva said.

Silva never had formal voice or guitar lessons; everything he had learned was through the rock band Evanescence, which is also how he started to learn English.

When he first applied to the music therapy program, he wasn’t accepted due to a lack of technical skills, so he stayed as a guest for one semester.

“When I reapplied, I was able to play one of my original songs, the same song I performed in Mr. USU, called ‘Wonder,’” Silva said. “I composed that song when I was on a cruise ship in 2017, at a point when I was not sure if I would come here to America. The song talks a lot about my insecurities and how to carry on, even while feeling like you don’t have energy to do anything else.”

Silva’s performance of “Wonder” showcased his composition ability and passion. This, along with his progress over the semester, earned him acceptance into the program. Staying at USU, however, wasn’t always easy.

“I’m an international student, and international students are always going to pay out-of-state tuition,” Silva said. “As an international student, I don’t qualify for FAFSA either. I’m just surviving through donations.”

Despite the financial challenges, Silva has remained committed to completing the requirements of the program.

“Music therapy is not as simple as people think. It’s beyond just playing for people and making them happy,” Silva said. “There are requirements. I had to give up a couple of years of school to start over at music therapy because every year you have a specific class. You can’t just have a major in psychology and music and become a music therapist. It took me a lot of time and a lot of fight to make that decision.”

Originally, Silva got involved with Mr. USU because he thought there was a scholarship award, which he thought could help fund his college career.

“I figured out two weeks before the pageant that you don’t get any money. So, I thought, ‘What can I gain from this experience to help pay for school?’ I decided to start sharing my story with everybody,” Silva said. “For me, it feels challenging sometimes because I don’t want to sound like I’m pleading or being pitied, but it’s my reality.”

For his performance at Mr. USU, Silva drew on his music background to put together a unique and captivating musical number.

“I did a mash-up with my original song, three Brazilian songs, tracks by Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and another pop song, all in three minutes,” Silva said. “I did all the editing, put all the songs together. I created the choreography for everything. I worked hard on my singing because I have stage fright.”

During his Mr. USU performance, Silva faced technical difficulties with both the video and audio elements, which he said was frustrating after all the time he spent rehearsing. Although he was the only one whose performance had technical difficulties, he found himself adjusting to the glitches.

“After that, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to become a meme for the whole school. So, what should I do now? You know what? Since I’m a joke, I’m going to be the joke,’” Silva said. “Everything else was just smooth. I thought I already lost, so I was just going to be myself. My decision to turn it into something good made me win.”

For Silva, being Mr. USU symbolizes his resilience and endurance through life.

“It means that I’m capable of achieving things I want if I try hard,” Silva said. “And I’m capable of doing things that are hard.”

According to Silva, representing the student body as Mr. USU is an added responsibility and an opportunity to show that hard work pays off. He also expressed his desire to use his platform to represent students who face challenges similar to his own.

“I recently figured out that I have PTSD, I have dyslexia, I have dyscalculia and I have depression,” Silva said. “There were many moments during my time on campus when I thought ‘I’m just dumb,’ or ‘I just don’t know music,’ or ‘I don’t have the skills,’ which was a paradox for me because music is what has brought me here this far.”

Silva decided to get an assessment through CAPS under the encouragement of his music theory professor Sara Bakker. He said the diagnosis and accommodations have made everything easier, especially because it has helped him understand how the learning disabilities have affected his schooling and allowed professors to adapt his learning according to his needs.

According to Silva, encouragement from his professors has been pivotal in his mental health journey. They have consistently encouraged him and reminded him of his abilities, even when he has felt discouraged.

“My professor Dr. Chenette was my first main motivator once I started at USU,” Silva said. “He was the one who showed me my strengths in music, such as improvising and composing.”

Advocating for mental health is a major goal for Silva, and he encourages fellow students to get an assessment if they think they might be struggling with a learning disability.

“I’m really thankful that I got CAPS to help me with this,” Silva said. “But my challenge right now is being a little bit more kind to myself to understand that it’s not my capability, it’s my learning disability.”

Silva said one of his favorite aspects of being at USU is the support he has received from faculty throughout his music therapy journey.

“I know my limitations, I know my struggles, but I’m happy that as a student, I can feel safe to be myself and not be embarrassed to have struggles and reach out to the faculty to have their support,” Silva said. “I’m really thankful for Dr. Dewey, Dr. Bakker and Dr. Chenette as well. Laurie Hart too, my voice teacher. These people — they’re incredible. I can feel that they care about me and my success.”

In the future, Silva hopes to get a master’s degree in music therapy and establish a clinic for underrepresented populations.

“I decided if I have the chance to stay in America, to create the first music therapy clinic for Spanish and Portuguese English speakers because we don’t have any for the Brazilian population or for the Spanish population,” Silva said. “My plan for the clinic is to give people the opportunity to have music in their own language.”

Silva’s biggest piece of advice for other students is to prioritize positive self-thought.

“Don’t give up thinking good things about yourself,” Silva said. "I believe I won Mr. USU because I believed that I had something valuable to contribute, even though 90% of the time, I think the opposite. Don’t give up on recognizing the good in yourself.”

Silva also emphasized the importance of recognizing that people are more complex than they initially appear.

“I was the cool guy performing, but that’s not half of my story,” Silva said. “That’s not half of the story of many artists, but what we need is to believe in the good things that people have, including in ourselves.”

To follow along with Silva’s journey or donate to support his schooling, visit his website.