As a KISSM musician during my four years of high school, I entered into a community of extremely talented, passionate, hard working, and amazing students and leaders. I remember fondly my first year at KISSM, as it placed me amidst a group of people who loved music just as much as me, and were being specifically and personally instructed how to best progress in our craft and share it with our community, all while having a fantastically fun time. Coming from Merritt, there is limited opportunity for young musicians to perform outside of annual piano recitals. KISSM provided me the chance to not only progress in piano, but also to try out musical theatre for the first time in my life, and my love for this art was awoken as a result. I have gained friends and mentors from my experiences that have stayed with me to this day, and I was so moved from my experience, that when I finished my final year of KISSM, I was unwilling to let it end. So, I decided to come back the next year as a member of the faculty, so that I could invest in a new group of musicians, and my experience has been different, but just as enriching and valuable. KISSM has given me tools that extend far beyond just the realm of music. It has given me confidence. It has given me joy. It has given me a love of speaking in front of great groups of people. It has given me friends, mentors, students, and memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life.