Pediatric melanoma, a rare but aggressive form of skin cancer in children and young adults, poses a unique challenge for diagnosis and treatment, as it does not present with the same clinical criteria as adult melanoma. Standard recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of melanoma in this patient population are crucial, but an understanding of the biological mechanisms, and how this compares to adult melanoma, is lacking. One mechanism by which cancer cells grow uncontrollably is by preventing their DNA’s protective caps, called telomeres, from getting shorter as they should with each cell division. Research has shown that telomere maintenance may play a pivotal role in the development and progression of pediatric melanoma. This project will explore the role of specific genetic mutations within the telomeres, and the proteins they bind to, in melanoma prognosis in pediatric and adolescent/young adult patients. By elucidating genomic drivers of disease in these patients, we will provide groundwork for subsequent standardization of prognosis and treatment recommendations in this patient population.