Zavia Doyling has done a solid job turning her passion into profit to fund her way through dentistry school.

The 19-year-old violinist has been offered a spot at Jackson State University in Mississippi, with a sizeable music scholarship to see her through.

Ms Doyling earned $7,000 over the past year busking around Hamilton and performing at weddings, funerals and private events.

“I think that sometimes people can be kind of hesitant, the people who are hiring,” she said shortly after playing at a wedding. “Just because I am so young, their first thought is, ‘Oh, she has a lack of experience’.

“But I think once the people give me a chance, there are always positive comments on my professionalism and the way that I communicate before events.”

She added: “I make sure everything is clear in the contracts and invoices.

“I’m also quite accommodating — I’ve done a lot to make sure they have the music that they want at their wedding, because it’s obviously a special day so that’s very important.

“A lot of people have commented on my skill and said I’m able to capture different vibes for different things.”

Ms Doyling, who dreams of having her own dental practice and dental health charity, took to the streets in June 2023 to perform for cash.

The Warwick resident and former Bermuda High School student decided to take a gap year after graduating from Warminster School in Wiltshire, southwest England, and balanced her performances with working at Avant Dental in Hamilton three days a week.

In the meantime, she applied to the Universidad Católica de Murcia in Murcia, Spain, as well as universities across England and the United States.

Ms Doyling said that she had performed at about 40 private events since she started playing professionally.

She added that she had played everything from Afrobeats to classical renditions of modern pop songs.

Ms Doyling had been playing violin since she was four years old, but said that her interest lay in dentistry.

She said that she wanted to have her own practice, but also run a charity in Ecuador to help the less fortunate with their dental health.

Ms Doyling earlier told The Royal Gazette that her dream came from going on a mission trip to the South American country, where she saw many people suffering from illness and dental problems.

She added that because dentistry gave her a chance to travel, she could use her skills to help people.

Despite her dentistry dreams, Ms Doyling said that she hoped to keep her musical talents alive.

She said that she hoped to get a music theory diploma in performance, which would involve her playing a 45-minute concerto.

Ms Doyling added: “I definitely love playing for weddings and quite intimate events, so I’ll probably keep doing that if I don’t take it too seriously.”

Ms Doyling leaves for Jackson State University on August 8.

She said that she was happy with the amount of money she had raised, which would go towards her meal plan and books while her scholarship covered roughly half of her yearly $30,000 tuition.

Ms Dowling said that she would probably continue to busk and intern in dentist offices to earn money for the future.

She added she had no plans to perform between now and her flight date – but she added: “It anybody asked me to play for weddings and events, I would definitely do that before I leave.”