I was introduced to music in 2019 as a freshman when I moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Newton High School in Covington, Georgia. While in New York, I was active in the performing arts, participating in theatre at East Flatbush Community Research School. This gave me the opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in front of thousands. Towards the end of middle school, while browsing YouTube, I found a promotional video for the Newton High School Sound Factory Marching Band. I was hooked and immediately filled out the Google registration form in the description. Little did I know, this would be my introduction to music and some of the most rewarding years of my life. What started as a small interest in marching percussion grew exponentially as I progressed through high school. I took part in multiple ensembles, including the Newton High School Symphonic Band, the NeXuS Community/Competition Drumline, and the Southwest DeKalb Marching Panther Band. However, when I graduated from high school, I began to doubt whether I could make a living from music or sustain a career based on it. Seeing educators with many years of experience leave the profession for various reasons frightened me. I questioned whether the trajectory of a teaching career would be fulfilling. I entered Bethune-Cookman University as an undecided major on a band scholarship, later switching to Mass Communications. However, during the academic year, I felt out of place, as if something was missing. I wasn’t engaged in my classes, and while my grades were sufficient for good academic standing, I didn’t feel like I was working toward something meaningful. Eventually, I decided to withdraw from the university to find a better fit and a more engaging field of study. While back home in Georgia, I enrolled as a part-time student at South Carolina State University, majoring in English Education, while also volunteering with the NeXuS Community Drumline as a Quad/Multi-Tenor Tech. During my time volunteering and being home, I discovered my passion for music that had not yet been expressed in college—mentoring and working with kids in the Metro-Atlanta area through percussion. Witnessing the musical growth of the kids, as well as their own passions and goals, has been and continues to be the most rewarding experience of my life. For this reason, I am transferring to Virginia State University to major in Music Education as a member of their Percussion Studio. My goal after graduating is to return to Metro-Atlanta and work as a high school percussion teacher, fostering the next generation of percussionists and musicians.