Being in high school marching band has become a part of me, in ways I could've never imagined. I'm hardly late to anything, and if I am I feel terrible for it. Qualities like discipline, professionalism, and hard work with delayed gratification are instilled in my being.

I remember my high school experience quite fondly. One of my favorite memories was being able to travel to Indianapolis, Indiana to compete in the Bands of America Grand National Championships. It is so surreal to me that I was part of an organization that could compete with bands that are of such high admiration and complexity... and not crash and burn.

One band that has become one of my fan favorites because of this year's competition is Castle High School Marching Knights from Indiana. They made their first appearance on the Grand Nationals final's stage with their show this year, titled "A Siren's Song." The band got 10th place at Grand Nationals Finals Competition, with a score of 91.05 out of 100.Their show depicts a beautiful story of a Siren (mythology) calling to a boy and their story of how they came together. In order to tell this story, the band features a female vocalist/flute player and a male flute player/guard member. While both roles are equally important and would make the show incomplete without one of them, I want to focus on the vocalist.

Her name is Sophie Rinehart. She is a beautiful girl with a God-given talent to play flute and sing. She's 17 years old, and brought their show all the way to Grand Nationals Finals Championship.

The unfortunate thing about this is, on her way home from making history for their band program (appearing in finals for the first time), Sophie, her father, and her grandmother were killed in a tragic car accident.

Seventeen years old. I remember when I was seventeen years old. I both got accepted and started attending the college of my dreams. My band got a state championship gold medal, and I lived out one of my favorite years of high school. Sophie was making history for her band program, singing her heart out, and doing what she loved to do: perform.

In an interview with the Music for All organization, Sophie emphasized that music had been a part of her entire life and that her main goal was to do anything possible to allow her music to move her audience. Let me tell you, she definitely achieved that goal.

She moved her audience, and when the world heard about her death, it was absolutely heartbreaking. Hashtags like #WeAreAllCastle and #SingForSophie have crossed the country and actually hit Mexico recently to show our endless support for Sophie's family and friends during this rough time. Even though the death of her and her family members was unexpected, their gifts and talents will never be forgotten.

From South Carolina, I send much love and prayers to Sophie's friends, family, and band family. Thank you for sharing your talents with us, Sophie, and you will be forever missed.