It has been my dream to run a music school since I was a little girl. Growing up, the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts in Halifax, Canada was my home away from home. After taking cello and ballet lessons, I spent countless hours roaming the old building while I waited for my mom to finish teaching piano. By the time I was twelve, my desire to make a career out of performing came to the fore. However, the cost of the high level instruction I needed were beyond our family's reach. My mom and I poured hours of work into bake sales, babysitting, other odd jobs, and applied for scholarships to help pay for lessons. Each step brought us closer to our educational and training goals, but it wouldn't have been possible without the generosity of faculty members and donors at the Maritime Conservatory.

As I grew in my training and skill, I also fell in love with the buzz of energy in the Conservatory. There's something special about children participating in the arts that creates an infectious, vibrant energy. I knew that being in an environment like the Conservatory where I grew up in would be a part of the rest of my life, but I didn't know where that desire would lead me.