There is a beauty in having a platform to showcase the things you are skilled in and passionate about.

When I was in high school, I played in a pop punk band that regularly played at the same three venues. Usually the regulars would show up when we would play — which most times were people in other bands.

Then there was the high school’s talent show, where we were able to showcase what we were capable of to people who otherwise wouldn’t know.

At the end of our performance, in that awkward moment when you’re not really sure how to close the one song set you played, I took my bass off and threw it in the air, not realizing that I was potentially set to destroy a $600 instrument until it was mid-flight.

So when my heart began to sink during my mistake, I sat to catch it and, in doing so, caught it with my face in front of a packed auditorium full of students and families of other participants, as well as my own.

That being said, I’m sure no one at the Lunenburg’s Got Talent had the same unfortunate end to their talent showing, and, if so, I hope you too can use that story for an opinion column at some point in the future.

I applaud the Lunenburg County Chamber of Commerce for embracing and encouraging young talent through the awards and the talent show overall.

It’s vital for young people to explore their passions so when they get older they can understand what they should pursue, or in my case with music, what they shouldn’t pursue.

Employing the talents of the many instead of the few is how we develop a more viable source of citizens and make a community richer.

Morgan White is a staff writer for The K-V Dispatch. His email address is Morgan.White@KVDispatch.com.