She
met
Meghan
Markle
before
she
was
Her
Royal
Highness
the
Duchess
of
Sussex.
It
was
a
split-second
greeting,
but
the
breath-taking
moment
wasn't
lost
on
Meredith
Hopkins
'16.
Seven
months
later,
Hopkins
had
another
awe-filled
moment
as
the
title
of
National
Scottish
Fiddle
champion
was
bestowed
on
her
in
Edinboro,
Pennsylvania.
For
the
homeschooled
student
from
Pittsburgh,
it
was
an
accolade
she
had
been
working
toward
for
10
years.
Among
musicians,
the
difference
between
a
violin
and
a
fiddle
is
sometimes
said
to
be
nonexistent.
Others
would
say
it
is
the
number
of
strings
and
a
third
group
might
define
it
to
be
the
type
of
music
performed.
For
Hopkins,
the
difference
lies
in
how
the
instrument
is
played.
Using
distractions
to
her
advantage
Hopkins
began
playing
the
violin
at
age
three.
Ten
years
later,
she
was
chosen
by
her
music
school
to
be
part
of
a
six-piece
ensemble
that
performed
at
the
White
House
Christmas
party.
In
2012,
she
began
her
BW
studies
as
a
string
performance
major.
She
bridged
her
classical
studies
of
violin
with
her
love
for
Scottish
fiddle
music.
Her
professors
and
peers
were
among
her
greatest
supporters.
She
recalled
a
time
during
a
National
Scottish
Fiddle
Competition
when
everything
went
wrong.
Lights
in
the
room
were
turned
on
and
off,
cell
phones
rang
loudly
and
cameras
flashed.
The
distractions,
she
believed,
cost
her
the
competition.
"When
I
told
my
faculty
mentor,
Dr.
Julian
Ross,
about
the
experience,
he
said
we
would
find
a
solution
before
the
next
competition,"
recalled
Hopkins.
"A
week
before
nationals,
I
performed
the
competition
set
for
our
studio
class
...
with
a
twist.
The
other
students
had
to
distract
me
by
walking
up
on
stage,
making
phone
calls,
singing
and
talking
while
I
was
performing.
I
went
on
to
win
third
place
in
nationals."
A
royal
reception
"While
studying
at
the
Royal
Conservatoire
of
Scotland
for
my
master's
degree,
an
agent
reached
out
to
the
school
in
February
2018
asking
for
a
trio
to
play
background
music
for
a
reception
in
Edinburgh.
The
reception
was
for
schoolchildren
to
present
their
projects
to
Prince
Harry
and
Meghan
Markle,"
noted
Hopkins.
"As
part
of
the
trio,
I
was
instructed
on
how
to
speak
and
curtsy
to
royalty.
At
the
end
of
the
reception,
we
were
personally
thanked
by
the
royal
couple!
It
was
an
unforgettable
experience,"
she
recalled.
"This
opportunity
was
one
of
many
recent
joys
for
me,"
she
said
with
a
smile.
"In
July
of
this
year,
I
was
married
to
Isaac
Hopkins
'16,
a
BW
trumpet
performance
major,
now
pursuing
his
master's
degree
at
the
University
of
Michigan.
We
started
dating
in
November
of
our
freshman
year
...
and
the
rest
is
history!"
