STATE OF THE ART

Melody Chang (IM, ‘22) won the prestigious 2021 Dragon Challenge from the Dragon Kim Foundation for her project “Let’s Learn about Public Health!” Her project entailed writing a book for children in grades 3-6, in an effort to educate them about modern concepts of public health. She also ran a community summer camp to deliver her curriculum to 120 children. Through the Dragon Kim Foundation, she was awarded $5,000 to translate her book into other languages, develop a curriculum to teach her book in elementary schools, and advocate at the state level for her book and curriculum to be taught in more school districts. To read more about Melody’s project, please visit https://bit.ly/3uIEpQx

Emilia Djordjevic (IM, ‘23) won first place in the Piano Open Category in the Satori Summer Music Festival.

Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23) and Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23) started a nonprofit organization, called Strike a Chord, to teach music to underserved children in Orange County. The organization aims to provide everyone with the opportunity to flourish through the power of music with performances and instrument donations.

Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) has been ranked by Niche as the #1 Best Charter High School in California for the third year in a row, as well as the #6 Best Charter High School in America for 2022! We would like to express our gratitude to all the students, teachers, and staff who continue to make OCSA an exceptional institution. To view all rankings for OCSA, please visit: https://bit.ly/3D8R02u

Hazel Vuu (IM, ‘23) and Rachael Vu (IM, ‘24) received first place in the 2021 Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition. They were invited to perform their winning piece, "Variations on a Theme by Paganini" for two pianos by Witold Lutoslawski, at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City.

Jennifer Vu (IM, ‘26) won the Golden Prize and a $300 award in the Chamber Music Division (Youth Piano Duet) at the 2021 Kansas City Conero International Piano Competition.

The following students won first place in their categories in Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU) High School Music Competition.

Solo Piano
Helaine Zhao (IM, ‘24) - "Allegro de Concierto" by Enrique Granados

Performer Composer (Instrumental)
Diego Legras (PM, ‘23) - "Improvisation #1" by Diego Legras

Solo Voice
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24) - "Fair Robin I Love" by Kirke Mechem

Chamber Music
Christopher Cung (IM, ‘22) - "Trio in B Minor for Piano, Oboe and Clarinet, Movement I" by Edouard Destenay

The following students received the top score of 5 on their Advanced Placement (AP) exams. They were also among an elite group of students in the world to earn a perfect score on an AP exam.

Melanie Huq (CW, ‘21) - English Literature & Composition, United States Government & Politics
Hadley Miller (MT, ‘22) - Research
Yaira Spitzer-Tilchin (MT, ‘22) - Research
Helaine Zhao (IM, ‘24) - Chinese Language and Culture

Annabelle Park (IM, ‘22) was accepted to The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All-National Honor Ensemble.

The OCSA VEX Robotics Team competed in their first-ever tournament at the VEX OC Robo Bonanza, hosted by Beckman High School, and received the Judge’s Award. The following students participated in the tournament:

Sumin Cho (IM, ‘24)
Vivienne Ho (IA, ‘22)
Justin Hong (IM, ‘24)
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘23)
Kara Syn (IM, ‘23)
Jeffrey Tadeo (IA, ‘21)
Ryan Yoo (CAH, ‘24)

The following alumni were selected to perform in the return of Disney’s ¡Viva Navidad! at Disney California Adventure Park. This heartfelt street party celebrates both Mexican and Brazilian cultures through the characters of the famed movie "The Three Caballeros."

Jackie Alvarez (IM, ‘18)
Vivian Alvarez (BF, ‘19)
Dominique Breckenridge (BF, ‘16)
Iris Distancia (BF, ‘16)
Matthew De Leon (BF, ‘17)
Alyssa Gomez (BF, ‘17)
Michael Gomez (BF, ‘14)
Melina Marin (MT, ‘18)
Adrian Martinez (BF, ‘20)
Brianna Marquez BF, ‘18)
Madeline Peña (BF, ‘14)
Jose Rea (BF, ‘18)
Rodrigo Rea (BF, ‘21)
Jose Rivera (BF, ‘18)

Sterling Tran (IM, ‘27) won first place awards at the II International Chopin Piano Competition in Austria, the Rocky Mountain Music Competition, the Carmel Klavier Latin America Competition, and the 8th International Piano Competition Smederevo, where he won the special award for Promising Young Artist. Sterling also received third place at the 9th International Piano Competition "Frederic Chopin" in Romania, second place in the solo category from the Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition for Young Artists, and a scholarship award to the Costa Rica Piano Festival.

In addition to these awards, Sterling also performed at the Winner Gala Concert for the 2021 Conero International Piano Competition, and was also appointed the first alternate for the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) Piano Concerto Solo Competition.

The following students were recognized as 2022 YoungArts Winners by the National YoungArts Foundation for their artistic achievements. All YoungArts award winners at all levels receive cash prizes between $100 and $10,000. All YoungArts Finalists were also invited to participate in National YoungArts Week+, which features virtual classes and performances, workshops, mentorship opportunities, and an exhibition for the public.

Finalists:
Emmy Cheung (CMD, ‘22) – Dance (Modern/Contemporary)
Ethan Chu (FTV, ‘21) – Film
Youning Jiang (FTV, ‘22) – Film
Chaewon Kim (CW, ‘23) – Design Arts
Lauren Mei (ACT, ‘23) – Theater
Kailyn Yi (CMD, ‘22) – Dance (Modern/Contemporary)

Honorable Mentions:
Andy Choi (CW, ‘22) – Writing (Play or Script)
Johann Ren Collantes (FTV, ‘21) – Film
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24) – Classical Music (Violoncello)
Wyatt Layton (CW, ‘23) – Writing (Creative Nonfiction)

Merit:
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) – Classical Music (Flute)
Ava Kuntz (CV, ‘21) – Voice (Classical)
Mia Lopez (BF, ‘23) – Dance (World Dance Forms: Mexican Folkloric)
London San Luis (DM, ‘23) – Visual Arts
Caitlyn Mason (CW, ‘23) – Writing (Creative Nonfiction)
Aidan Meixner (MT, ‘22) – Voice (Singer-Songwriter)
Ava Ulloa (PM, ‘22) – Voice (Popular: Pop)
Jocelyn Wang (PM, ‘23) – Voice (Singer-Songwriter)
Sein Yun (IM, ‘22) – Classical Music (Violin)
Helaine Zhao (IM, ‘24) – Classical Music (Piano)

In addition, Emmy Cheung (CMD, ‘22) and Youning Jiang (FTV, ‘22) attended National YoungArts Week+ as 2022 YoungArts Winners and were nominated to be named 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts in Dance (Modern/Contemporary) and Film respectively. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars will ultimately choose 20 of the 60 nominees to be recognized for their academic and artistic accomplishments, leadership, community outreach, and overall creativity.

The following students were selected as regional semi-finalists in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program in recognition of their leadership, service, and academics, as well as their efforts to positively affect others in their community. Winners will be selected to receive a $20,000 college scholarship and to join a network of more than 6,000 Coca-Cola Scholar alumni that encourage, challenge, and support each other in their common goal of making the world a better place.

Melody Chang (IM, ‘22)
Abril Rodriguez Diaz (CW, ‘22)
Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)
Sein Yun (IM, ‘22)
Hannah Zhao (IM, ‘22)
Eric Zhu (FTV, ‘22)

Isaac Sohn (IM, ‘25) received first place at the American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music.

Lana Sawalha, an OCSA history teacher, was offered the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes Fellowship in Scott, KS. The fellowship is awarded annually to educators who have distinguished themselves in teaching understanding and respect through project-based learning.

Gavin Lacanlale (IM, ‘23) appeared on Spectrum News for a performance of Pamana Kultura, a show in celebration of Filipino American History Month. He played kulintang, indigenous music of the southern Philippines, for the Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble. To view the full episode, please visit: https://bit.ly/348aF6F

Pedro Fregoso (IM, ‘27) was invited to perform at the state capitol for the State of California’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony.

UNDECIDED FUTURE was featured in an article by Orange Coast Magazine. Band members include: Cole Fredrick (IM, ‘16) on guitar, Matt Jarnagin (FTV, ‘15) on lead vocals, Hayden Lyskoski (IM, ‘16) on bass, Matisse Pasillas (FTV, ‘15) on drums, and Nick Stone (IM, ‘15) on keys.

Orange County School of the Arts was featured in an article by KTLA about our recent Niche ranking as the #1 Best Charter High School in California for the third year in a row, as well as the #6 Best Charter High School in America for 2022. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Iy3N1k

Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23) and Samuel Parigela (IM, ‘25) performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City as a part of an international concerto competition winners' recital. Sarah performed "Scherzo Tarantella" by Henryk Wieniawski, with Samuel accompanying her on piano.

Melody Chang (IM, ‘22) was featured in an article by the Orange County Register naming Orange County’s 125 top influencers for 2021. She was recognized for her impact in the community in regards to public health education. As a part of her Dragon Kim Foundation project, Melody conducted multiple workshops to teach public health using a book she wrote and published. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Atyn9g

Elective and Conservatory Instructor Cameron Shim received his Level 1 Teaching Certification for Aerial Silks from Aerial Physique.

The following students were accepted into the California Band Directors Association (CBDA) All-State Band for 2021:

Sejin Byun (IM, ‘27) - Bb Clarinet
Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25) - Oboe
Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25) - Viola
Irene Choung (IM, ‘24) - Cello
Armaan Diwan (IM, ‘27) - Tenor Saxophone
Auvin Hajian (IM, ‘22) - Trombone
Kylie Heidal (IM, ‘23) - Bass Trombone
Miri Izenberg (IM, ‘26) - Trumpet
Chelsea Jiang (IM, ‘27) - Piccolo
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24) - Cello
David Jou (IM, ‘23) - Violin II
Ariana Kim (IM, ‘25) - Bassoon
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) - Flute
Heejae Kim (IM, ‘27) - Violin I
Jaden Kim (IM, ‘25) - Violin I
Lauren Kim (IM, ‘23) - Violin II
Tane Kim (IM, ‘24) - Cello
Ryan Klotz (IM, ‘22) - Tuba
Amy Lee (IM, ‘23) - Violin II
Jaynie Lee (IM, ‘27) - Violin II
Allison Molin (IM, ‘25) - Trumpet
Darren Qiu (IM, ‘24) - Alto & Soprano Sax
Owen Ramos (IM, ‘27) - Trombone
Elliot Shiwota (IM, ‘22) - Percussion
Kenny Song (IM, ‘27) - Bb Clarinet
Leo Sui (IM, ‘23) - Trombone
Audrey Yoon (IM, ‘26) - Violin I
Jiin Yun (CW, ‘24) - Cello

The OCSA Science Olympiad High School Team (Division C) competed in the BirdSO Mini Science Olympiad competition and placed 8th out of 160 teams. They also competed in the National Invitational Science Olympiad Satellite competition where they placed 21st out of 236 teams. The students received the following awards:


BirdSO Mini Science Olympiad Competition:

5th place:
Codebusters: Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25), Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), and Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)

8th place:
Write it CAD it: Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24) and Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)
Fermi Questions: Tane Kim (IM, ‘24) and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

9th place:
Detector Building: Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

Other Competitors:
Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24), Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22), Kacy Chung (VA, ‘23), Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23), Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23), Grant Li (CW, ‘23), Amy Lee (IM, ‘23), Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23), Kei Shimabukuro (IM, ‘24), Em Wei-Ten (PM, ‘23), Jiin Yun (IM, ‘24), and Audrey Zhang (IM,‘24)

National Invitational Science Olympiad Satellite Competition:

3rd place:
Write it CAD It: Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24) and Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)

4th place:
Cybersecurity: Grant Li (CW, ‘23) and Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23)

6th place:
Botany: Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23) and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

8th place:
It’s About Time: Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

11th place:
Ornithology: Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22) and Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23)

12th place:
Bioinformatics: Em Wei-Ten (PM, ‘23) and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

13th place:
Digital Structures: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24) and Kei Shimabukuro (IM, ‘24)
Codebusters: Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25), Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), and Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)

18th place:
Anatomy and Physiology: Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23) and Audrey Zhang (IM, ‘24)
Astronomy: Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25) and Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24)
Disease Detectives: Tane Kim (IM, ‘24) and Jiin Yun (IM, ‘24)

21st place:
Green Generation: Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22) and Jiin Yun (IM, ‘24)

Other Competitors:
Kacy Chung (VA, ‘23), Caleb Empig (IMP, ‘23), and Amy Lee (IM, ‘23)

The following students were recognized as semifinalists in The Music Center’s 33rd Annual Spotlight Program. Spotlight is a nationally acclaimed arts training and scholarship program for teens that awards more than $100,000 in cash scholarships annually. Semifinalists have the opportunity to attend a special master class in their discipline with highly regarded artists who share their expertise on performance technique, training, and professional life. Each semifinalist will virtually audition once more, and the top two finalist performers in each category will be selected for a total of 14 Grand Prize Finalists.

Classical Semifinalists:
Leo Sui (IM, ‘23)

Jazz Semifinalists:
Max Gilbert (IM, ‘22)
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

Acting Semifinalists:
Grace Wilcox (ACT, ‘22)
Kaya Sparnicht (ACT, '25)
Landon Wouters (MT, ‘22)
Tessa Espinola (ACT, ‘25)

Congratulations to the following students for their success in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. These students received Silver Key Regional-at-Large awards.

Charlotte Brandman (MT, ‘23): Poetry, "Interior"
Kaitlyn Byer (CW, ‘25): Personal Essay & Memoir, "Just Me and Him"
Jaeung Cha (VA, ‘25): Photography, “Missing You”
Ruth Chen (CW, ‘25): Personal Essay & Memoir, "It Is."
Jennifer Choi (VA, ‘26): Drawing & Illustration, “Kitchen Utensils”; Mixed Media, “My Hobbies”
Kacy Chung (VA, ‘23): Painting, “Circles”
David Du (FTV, ‘24): Dramatic Script, "Tokyo from Afar, LA SALVATION"
Weiduo Feng (VA, ‘23): Drawing & Illustration, “Octopus in a rainstorm”; Film & Animation, "Lend"
Kelly Halliburton (CW, ‘25): Poetry, "The Elements of Nature"
Isabella Ho (CW, ‘22): Flash Fiction, "Playing Cards With Death"
Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘24): Science Fiction & Fantasy, "The Mystery Man"
Jessica Hong (CW, ‘24): Short Story, "The Skeleton Girl in My Chemistry Class"
Lyn Huang (CW, ‘24): Flash Fiction, "3165"
Aaliyah Joo (VA, ‘23): Painting, “Venus”
Jamie Jung (CW, ‘24): Poetry, "Pictures and Frames"
Sona Kamaraj (VA, ‘24): Painting, “Artificial Environment”
Hannah Kang (VA, ‘22): Drawing & Illustration, “A Woman’s Back”, “Catastrophe”
Estella Sky Keyoung (CV, ‘25): Photography, “Water Diamonds on the Rocks”
Annette Kim (VA, ‘22): Painting, “Incompetence”
Chaewon Kim (CW, ‘23): Painting, “It’s Unfair”
Chloe Kim (VA, ‘23): Drawing & Illustration, “Melting”

Tane Kim’s (IM, ‘24) manuscript, titled "Analyzing TCGA Data to Identify Gene Mutations Linked To Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Asians," was accepted for publication in "Gastrointestinal Tumors" which is an international, peer-reviewed journal that brings together the leading opinions in all fields related to gastrointestinal cancer research. Tane also scored within the top five percent of scores on the American Math Competition Ten (AMC 10) and qualified for the 2022 American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) with distinction. This is his second time qualifying for AIME.

Jennifer Vu (IM, ‘26) and Rachael Vu (IM, ‘24) received first place in the Sibling category at the United States International Duo Piano Competition in Colorado Springs. They performed the piece "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso" by Camille Saint-Saëns.

Isaac Sohn (IM, ‘25) received first place in the Intermediate (13 to 15 years old) category at the 2022 Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition and was invited to the winner's concert at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Sean Lee (IM, ‘18) released an online album of music videos with pianist Peter Dugan, titled "Paganini X Schumann: 9 Caprices." To view the full video series, please visit: https://bit.ly/35BfTc5

Congratulations to OCSA’s Mock Trial Team, faculty advisor Whitney Coates, and volunteer coaches Justice Halim Dhanidina, Melissa Brandman, J.D, and Ethan Feng, J.D. for advancing to the Orange County finals for the first time and receiving second place after competing against rigorous competition. OCSA’s Gold team advanced to the top eight for only the second time in the program’s history. The following students competed as members of the team.

Sophia Abiera (ACT, ‘24)
Sruthi Alle (CV, ‘22)
Zabethah Bagnol (PD, ‘24)
Charlotte Brandman (MT, ‘23)
Sarah Demeter (CW, ‘25)
Sammy Dorfman (IA, ‘24)
V Garcia (ACT, ‘25)
Mona George (CV, ‘25)
Ethan Gray (ACT, ‘22)
Kennedy Harrison (PD, ‘25)
Sasha Herthel (ACT, ‘23)
Joshua Hizon (MT, ‘23)
Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘23)
Toby Izenberg (CW, ‘23)
Milo Karnes (IA, ‘24)
Claire Karr (VA, ‘23)
Emma Kay (ACT, ‘23)
Annabelle Kim (CW, ‘23)
Ariana Kim (IM, ‘25)
Caitlin Kim (ACT, ‘25)
Emily Kim (CW, ‘24)
Fanny Kim (IA, ‘24)
Isabella Kim (ACT, ‘25)
Haley Kleinman (IA, ‘24)
Elaine Lim (FTV, ‘25)
Diego Linn (BR, ‘25)
Samantha Liu (IM, ‘23)
Regan Mading (IA, ‘23)
Katia Miyamoto (CW, ‘24)
Lucy Moriyama (ACT, ‘23)
Daisy Noh (IA, ‘22)
Kendall Phanco (VA, ‘23)
Colin Root (ACT, ‘22)
Ashima Sharma (CW, ‘25)
Cat Silva-Oliveira (IA, ‘24)
Ciara Tadeo (IA, ‘25)
Josie Wang (PM, ‘23)
Sophia Wilhelm (VA, ‘23)
Lacole Yang (CW, ‘24)

Matthew Blam (IM, ‘24) was recently granted membership into the Young Composers Guild (YCG) upon recommendation by a panel of composition evaluators. The Young Composers Guild is the highest achievement that a Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC) high school composition student can attain.

The OCSA Ambassador Jazz Orchestra has been selected as one of 15 finalists in the country to participate in the 2022 Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival in New York, hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center.

The OCSA Robotics Team qualified for the 2022 Southern California VRC High School State Championship held at Damien High School, where they will compete for a chance to go to the 2022 VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas.

Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25) won first place in the 2022 International Music Competition Vienna and London Grand Prize Virtuoso competition. She was offered a chance to perform at Gläserner Saal Musikverein in Vienna and Royal Albert Hall in London. She also won first place in the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) Contemporary Competition District 8 and advanced to the State final.

The Orange County Register announced the nominees for the 9th Annual Artist of the Year Awards. This program highlights talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts. Each of these students has proven their abilities in their areas of expertise.

Film and Animation:

Animation and Visual Effects
Romeo Martin (DM, ‘22)

Cinematography
Justin Shin (FTV, ‘22)

Directing and Editing
Maggie Ding (FTV, ‘22)
Youning Jiang (FTV, ‘22)
Anirudh Vadhri Kota (FTV, ‘22)
Alexis Ai Macdonald (FTV, ‘22)
Nona Nishigawara (FTV, ‘22)
Michael McDonald (IA, ‘22)

Handcrafted Visual Arts:

Hand Drawing and Painting
Grace Jo (VA, ‘22)
Alison Amber Lee (VA, ‘23)
London San Luis (DM, ‘23)
Xiaowei (Sophia) Wang (VA, ‘22)

Mixed Media
Joyce Yuruo Hong (VA, ‘22)
Hannah Kang (VA, ‘22)

Instrumental Music:

Piano and Strings
Xingyao Li (IM, ‘22)
Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23)
Sein Yun (IM, ‘22)
Hannah Zhao (IM, ‘22)

Melody Chang (IM, ‘22) was named a 2022 Coca-Cola Scholar in recognition of her superior leadership, service, and academics, as well as her efforts to positively affect others in her community. Out of the 251 regional finalists across the country, she was one of 150 selected to receive a $20,000 college scholarship and join a network of more than 6,600 Coca-Cola Scholar alumni that encourage, challenge, and support each other in their common goal of making the world a better place.

The following students were selected as 2022 Dragon Kim Fellows and earned $5,000 community service grants from the Dragon Kim Foundation. These students were chosen from over 300 applicants across California and Nevada and went through a rigorous interview process to earn the fellowships. Along with the project funding, these five students will receive three weekends of leadership training and hands-on mentorship from local business professionals.
Teachers Aid+: Camila Balanta (CAH, ‘25) and Sara Balanta (IA, ‘22)
Coding Campers: Tane Kim (IM, ‘24), Abbi Park (CW, ‘24), and Joshua Ta (IM, ‘24)

As the founder of SLSmileWorld, Samantha Liu (IM, ‘23) sold secondhand clothing and donated the profits to the Tzu Chi International Humanitarian Organization in support of COVID-19 recuperation efforts. She was awarded with a plaque and was invited to speak at the Tzu Chi Pandemic Sharing Ceremony and the Lunar New Year Blessing Ceremony. Her speeches were shared amongst the community during their public board meetings, lectures, and newsletters.

Emma Ward (IM, ‘22) won first place in the San Diego Concerto Competition in the Winds division. She was selected to be a featured soloist in two concerts with the Mira Costa Symphony Orchestra playing “Concerto for Piccolo” and “Orchestra, Op. 50” by Lowell Liebermann.

Michael Repper (IM, ‘08) recorded an album with the New York Youth Symphony, which had a single released by AVIE Records. The single is an excerpt from the adagio section of Florence Price's “Piano Concerto in One Movement.”

The OCSA High School Science Olympiad Team competed in the BirdSO Invitational competition against 236 teams across the nation.

The team earned the following awards:
Fourth Place
Gravity Vehicle: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24) and Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)

Sixth Place
Detector Building: Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)
Eighth Place
Machine Learning: Grant Li (CW, ‘23) and Em Wei-Ten (PM, ‘23)
Ninth Place
Ornithology: Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22) and Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23)

The OCSA VEX Robotics Team won their last three matches and finished 23rd at the 2022 Southern California VRC High School State Championship. They competed in the Southern California region which has hundreds of teams and is said to be the toughest in the country. The following students are members of the team and competed in the championship:

Sumin Cho (IM, ‘24)
Vivienne Ho (IA, ‘22)
Justin Hong (IM, ‘24)
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘23)
Kara Syn (IM, ‘23)
Jeffrey Tadeo (IA, ‘21)
Ryan Yoo (CAH, ‘24)

Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23), Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23), and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) competed as members of the Chemistry Olympiad Team at the 2022 ACS Orange County Chemistry Olympiad at Irvine Valley College and earned sixth place out of all teams in Orange County.

Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) was selected to participate in one of two editions of the 2022 NEA/Herbie Hancock Institute’s National All-Star Peer-to-Peer Jazz Quintet, one of the most educative and prestigious programs in jazz education. This program includes an all-expenses-paid weeklong performance tour with internationally renowned jazz recording artist Sean Jones in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The BingYi Saxophone Quartet has been chosen to advance to the Junior Wind Division Quarterfinals of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the largest and longest running chamber music competition in the nation, held in South Bend, Indiana. The following students are members of this ensemble.

Aidan Luu (IM, ‘23)
Ryan Nicolov (IM, ‘22)
Luke Toner (IM, ‘24)
Darren Qiu (IM, ‘24)

The following members of the OC Biology Club participated in the USA Biology Olympiad Exam. Audrey Zhang (IM, ‘24) was also selected to advance to the semi-finals, which will take place in March.

Jessica Hong (CW, ‘24)
Tane Kim (IM, ‘24)
Grant Li (CW, ‘23)
Jiin Yun (CW, ‘24)
Audrey Zhang (IM, ‘24)

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, and semifinalists for the 8th Annual Artist of the Year Awards, and OCSA had five winners out of seven arts categories this year! The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Semifinalists:
Dance:

Commercial Dance
Reagan Vallejo (IA, ‘22)

Concert Dance
Emmy Cheung (CMD, ‘22)
Alisa Nguyen (BCD, ‘23)

World/Cultural Dance
Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)
Hana Uehara (BR, ‘23)

Film and Animation:

Cinematography
Justin Shin (FTV, ‘22)

Directing and Editing
Maggie Ding (FTV, ‘22)
Alexis Ai Macdonald (FTV, ‘22)
Nona Nishigawara (FTV, ‘22)

Alyssa Snow (IM, ‘25) received first place at the Elite International Music Competition and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Julian Velasco (IM, ‘13) was selected to be a soloist featured as part of Chicago Sinfonietta’s 2022-2023 season. For his debut with Sinfonietta, he will be performing Roberto Sierra’s Saxophone Concerto in Wentz Concert Hall and Symphony Center.

Yunah Chun (IM, ‘25) received first prize at the 2022 Pelican International Music Competition, competing on solo piano in the Open category.

Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23) won second place in the Orange County Science and Engineering Fair and was featured on Orange County Vector Control’s social media platforms for his work with Laura Kruger, the District's Board Certified Entomologist in analyzing the data collected as part of their West Nile virus surveillance program.

The OCSA Ambassador Jazz Orchestra, led by Music Director and Conductor, John Reynolds, was honored as the third place band out of 15 finalist bands and several hundred applicant ensembles at the highly prestigious 2022 Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival in New York City, hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center. Additionally, the band shared the stage with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Many members of the band were also selected to win individual and section awards. To view their performance, please visit: https://bit.ly/3mCAKkk

Aydan Bevacqua (IM, ‘23)
Samuel Chung (IM, ‘25)
Mateo Cruz (IM, ‘24)
James Dechary (IM, ‘24)
Megan Etzel (IM, ‘23)
Auvin Hajian (IM, ‘23)
Trent Horio (IM, ‘22)
Miri Izenberg (IM, ‘26)
Kiana Kaminski (IM, ‘22)
Nhan-Tuan Luu (IM, ‘23)
Ryder Mendelson (IM, ‘23)
Allison Molin (IM, ‘25)
Ryan Nicolov (IM, ‘22)
Ian Shin (IM, ‘24)
Christian St. Marseille (IM, ‘22)
Leo Sui (IM, ‘23)
Connor Taing (IM, ‘23)
Luke Toner (IM, ‘24)
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

Christopher Cung (IM, ‘22) won the 2021 Chamber Music Competition at Mount St. Mary’s University and was awarded a $700 cash prize.

Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23), Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23), and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) represented OCSA at the Chemistry Olympiad Exam and placed sixth out of all Orange County high schools. The team was honored at the American Chemical Society Awards Banquet with a plaque and Nathan Tatsuta earned the top score from OCSA.

Additionally, Joseph Ho (IM, ‘24), Elise Park (FTV, ‘24), Sohun Shin (VA, ‘24), Melody Wu (VA, ‘24), and Helaine Zhao (IM, ‘24), OCSA’s first-year Chemistry Olympiad team, received second place out of all Orange County high schools’ first-year teams. This team was also honored at the American Chemical Society Awards Banquet with a plaque and Helaine Zhao earned the top score from OCSA.

Michael Repper (IM, ‘08) recorded an album with New York Youth Symphony which hit #1 on the Billboard Chart.

Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23) was accepted to Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Piano Program.

Lucie Kim (IM, ‘24) was selected to perform in The Pacific Club’s Emerging Artist Performance Series.

The following OCSA students, as a part of Empowering Arts (eA), a nonprofit founded by Hannah Cho (IM ‘25), were awarded the President's Volunteer Service Gold Award. The students were recognized for their musical concerts at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and the Blind Children’s Learning Center.

Dylan Chia (IM, ‘26)
Brent Cho (ACT, ‘27)
Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25)
Isabella Cho (ACT, ‘27)
Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25)
Emma Chuang (VA, ‘25)
Mia Geise (MT, ‘24)
Andrew Fung (IM, ‘24)
Arim (Ariana) Kim (IM, ‘25)
Jennifer Kim (VA, ‘25)
Calene Lee (CW, ‘25)
Sunny Lee (IM, ‘24)
Danny O'Grady (IM, ‘24)
Jae Eun (April) Park (IM, ‘25)
Emy Pardo (MT, ‘24)
Lucy Woo (IM, ‘25)
River Zylstra (ACT, ‘27)