Outstanding Senior: Arlo Merchant

Outstanding Senior Arlo Merchant is a music major from Smithtown, completing his second year at LIHSA. He had heard about LIHSA through another Smithtown student who studied theater at LIHSA and was excited to start hoping to find community. He did!

Describing LIHSA in one word, Arlo calls it “amazing!” He shares that LIHSA helped him to grow both artistically and as a person, “I never played bass before LIHSA and now it’s my main instrument. It pushed me outside of my comfort zone.” 

LIHSA Faculty members Alex Vietheer (Mr. V) and Jerry Nobile especially made an impact on Arlo in his LIHSA journey. And throughout his time, he felt connected to other students. With gratitude Arlo thanks the community for being there.

Since starting, Arlo has participated in several extracurricular programs such as Holiday Caroling at Westbury Gardens and the Ramona’s Gift of Music fundraiser in 2025. He is excited about the project he’s currently working on that will make its debut at the Multimedia Festival this spring. Arlo also loved the guest artists he had the opportunity to learn from.

When faced with creative challenges, Arlo is able to work through them by working on other creative projects like knitting and drawing. He loves listening to Indie music and one of his favorite artists is the Scottish musician Orla Garland. “I strive to be that authentic,” Arlo shares.

Next year, Arlo will attend SUNY Environmental Sciences and Forestry in Syracuse to study environmental education. Though he won’t be pursuing music in college, he’s excited to apply many skills he learned at LIHSA – including communications. After college, he shares, “I want to work at a nature preserve and to be an educator.  Mr. V is one of my biggest inspirations on why I want to be a teacher.”

Thank you, Arlo, for your enthusiasm and kindness, and for bringing your talent to LIHSA. We are excited to see your future unfold!