Today, 12/17/2025, I saw a post online about having the opportunity to put a passed loved one's name on a Varner Recital Hall seat and instantly thought about my stepdad who passed on 10/17/2021, Dennis Leach. Dennis was beyond supportive of me participating in the arts, and it still hits me that he’s not here during my time in college, truly seeing what I’m capable of.

I decided to make a GoFundMe for this because it would mean the world to me if this could happen.

While Dennis wasn’t an expert in the arts, he did everything he could to help me become a better musician. Examples would include starting in elementary school; I would always want to sing for the talent show, and he tried training me like a professional voice coach because he wanted to see me strive. When I started learning euphonium at 12-13 years old, he would try to see how focused I was on my studies and would always encourage me to play every day. He would always say to me as well, “When you become a stellar musician, I cannot wait to see everything you do.”

This is why I would love for his name to be on a chair in Varner. I want him to see everything I can do for the next 4-5 years of my degree.