For these students, the journey began in their school's choir room a space that has become much more than just a classroom.

"This is just like a place of security like I can walk in here and I could instantly, like, forget about everything," Glen Allen High School choir member Kayla Brown said.

"This room feels comfortable. It's something where you walk in, you immediately feel like you can be yourself, because you're surrounded by people who are very similar to you," Glen Allen High School choir member Addison Dolan added.

This sense of belonging is exactly what choir director Dr. Sherri Matthews has worked to create throughout her nearly 30 years of teaching.

"Teenagers are the same. They just want to be a part of something. They want to feel valued," Matthews said.

In July, the cho

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