Dr. Jee-Hoon Krska is the founder of Keys 2 Success, a Newark-based music education program that provides free, high-quality piano instruction to children in underserved communities. Born in Malaysia, she immigrated to the United States at age eleven and continued her piano studies as a scholarship student in Juilliard’s Pre-College program. Although she was a gifted pianist, Dr. Krska later earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT and spent about twenty years working in the semiconductor industry. Her path changed after becoming involved with youth in Newark’s Pennington Court public housing community, where she saw how deeply access, opportunity, and mentorship could shape a child’s future. In 2016, she founded Keys 2 Success to make classical music education available to students who might not otherwise have access to private lessons, instruments, or consistent arts programming. The program now serves students from Pre-K through middle school through free, daily group piano lessons and community-based support. Dr. Krska is also active in Arts Ed Newark and broader diversity and inclusion efforts, using music as both an educational tool and a way to build confidence, discipline, and belonging. Before listening to our conversation with her, it is important to understand that Dr. Krska’s work is not only about teaching piano; it is about opening doors for Newark’s youth through music, mentorship, and community.