STATE OF THE ART

Gabriella Saraivah (IA, ‘23) was cast in the lead role of Carol in “Tudo Igual... SQN,” coming soon to Disney+ Brasil.

Edward Chen (IA, ‘24), Jasmine Lee (CMD, ‘26), Zoe Sharek (IA, ‘22), Devin Vo (IA, ‘26), and Jadon Vo (CMD, ‘25), as members of the hip-hop competition team Gravy Babies, won first place in the junior division of the 2022 Show Out Dance Competition in El Cajon, CA and received the highest scores among all competing teams in both adult and junior divisions.

Luke Witting (IA, ‘23) was accepted into and attended a songwriting and performance summer session workshop at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, where he learned from professionals in the industry and collaborated with other high school students from the greater Los Angeles area.

Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘23) performed the lead role of Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” at The Music Room School of Performing Arts.

Remy Hall (IA, ‘22) was featured in the Orange County Register for painting a mural on a set of handball courts at Eader Elementary School in Huntington Beach.

Clare Murphy (IA, ‘23) had her writing featured on Kelly Corrigan’s podcast, “Kelly Corrigan Wonders.”

The following students received the National Recognition Program Award from two of the four College Board recognition programs that award academic honors to underrepresented students.This award recognizes their academic achievements and outstanding performances on the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and/or AP Exams.

National African American Recognition Award
Kayalani Degrave (MT, ‘23)
Ayanna Dowell (CMD, ‘23)
Aurelia Philmore (BD, ‘24)

National Hispanic Recognition Award
Sabrina Aguilar (DM, ‘23)
Maya Bleszinski (MT, ‘23)
Analise Delp (CW, ‘24)
Maya Ferchaw (ACT, ‘24)
Abril Garcia (CW, ‘23)
Mia Guillen (IA, ‘23)
David Llenderrozos (CW, ‘23)
Alexa Nunez Magana (MT, ‘23)
Ava Tello (ACT, ‘24)
Arianna Torres (CW, ‘23)
Candace Ramirez (VA, ‘23)
Sophia Ruiz (MT, ‘23)

The following students were named semifinalists for National Merit Scholarships. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation selected more than 16,000 semifinalists who are competing nationally for nearly $28 million in scholarships, which will be awarded next spring.

Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘23)
Yoojung (Sally) Jang (CW, ‘23)
Yoojin Jo (IM, ‘23)
Amber Khauv (CW, ‘23)
Grant Li (CW, ‘23)
Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23)
Joshua Qin (BD, ‘23)
Clara Son (CW, ‘23)
Allison Wong (CW, ‘23)
Evan Wu (IM, ‘23)

Lauren Chudner (VA, ‘23) and Faith Hochgesang (IA, ‘23) both earned perfect scores on the 2022 AP Research exam. Of the roughly 29,000 students who took the exam only 306 earned every point available on their paper, presentation, and oral defense. These students are officially in the highest scoring 1% of researchers.

Thea Larsen (IA, ‘23) received first place in the California Association of Collectors Educational Scholarship Foundation (CACESF) essay writing competition out of over 1,700 applicants and also was named a CACESF Scholarship State Champion.

Kalia Lagbao (IA, ‘27) was chosen to perform at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Pacific Region Conference in Huntington Beach.

The following students were recognized as 2023 YoungArts Winners by the National YoungArts Foundation for their artistic achievements. YoungArts award winners at all levels receive cash prizes between $100 and $10,000. All YoungArts Finalists are also invited to participate in National YoungArts Week where they collaborate with peers and develop their crafts with internationally recognized leaders in their fields.

Finalists:
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24) – Dance (Hip Hop)
Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25) – Classical Music (Oboe)
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24) – Classical Music (Violoncello)
Caroline Kim (VA, ‘25) – Design Arts
Ashley Park (CW, ‘23) – Writing (Spoken Word)
Joan Park (PM, ‘23) – Voice (Popular (Pop)

Honorable Mentions:
David Du (FTV, ‘24) – Film (Animation)
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23) – Voice (Popular (Pop))
Olivia Le (CW, ‘25) – Writing (Spoken Word)
Amelie Muro (FTV, ‘22) – Film (Experimental)
Ava Ulloa (PM, ‘22) – Voice (Popular (Pop))
Jocelyn Wang (PM, ‘23) – Voice (Singer-Songwriter)

Merit:
Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23) – Classical Music (Piano)
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) – Classical Music (Flute)
Katerina Malabarba (CW, ‘24) – Writing (Novel)
Maraia Mariselli (PM) – Voice (Singer-Songwriter)
Mehra Marzbani (ACT, ‘23) – Theater (Spoken Only)
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) – Jazz (Piano)
Ava Ulloa (PM, ‘22) – Voice (Jazz)
Cheungwan Wang (VA, ‘23) – Visual Arts

Avery Mizrahi (IA, ‘24) was recognized as a National Science Foundation Fellow at the University of California, Irvine where she presented her preliminary research, which hopes to find a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. Avery was part of a cohort of undergraduate Fellows that flew in from around the country to work in various neuroscience labs with star mentors over the summer.

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, semifinalists, and nominees for the 10th Annual Artist of the Year Awards. OCSA had two winners out of seven arts categories this year, as well as many finalists, semifinalists, and nominees! The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Semifinalists:

Dance

Commercial Dance
Michelle Cheng (CMD, ‘23)
Jonah Smith (CMD, ‘23)

Concert Dance
Courtney Chiu (BCD, ‘23)

Hip-Hop
Faith Aguilar (CMD, ‘23)
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)

World/Cultural Dance
Mia Amaris Lopez (BF, ‘23)


Film and Television

Cinematography
Zen Sing Thai (FTV, ‘23)

Film Directing
Jordan Held (FTV, ‘23)

Promo/Commercial Making
Evan Padilla (FTV, ‘23)


Fine Arts

Drawing
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘24)

Mixed Media
Alison Amber Lee (VA, ‘23)

Painting
London San Luis (DM, ‘23)
Cheungwan (Amy) Wang (VA, ‘23)
Melody Wu (VA, ‘24)


Instrumental Music

Jazz
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) - Piano

Piano
Lucie Kim (IM, ‘24) - Piano

Winds and Percussion
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) - Flute
Damian Paul (IM, ‘24) - Percussion


Media Arts

Digital Illustration
Ava Diaz (DM, ‘24)
Fatima Mai (VA, ‘24)

Game Art
Ethan Situ Leung (DM, ‘23)
Vicky H. Nguyen (DM, ‘23)

Motion Graphics and Animation
David Du (FTV, ‘24)


Theater

Acting
Ava DeVoe (ACT, ‘24)
Elora Sparnicht (CW, ‘23)

Vocal Music

Classical Voice
Mia Baron (CV, ‘23)
Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘23)

Cultural and Commercial Voice
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23)

Musical Theater Voice
Sophia Ruiz (MT, ‘23)

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, semifinalists, and nominees for the 10th Annual Artist of the Year Awards. OCSA had two winners out of seven arts categories this year, as well as many finalists, semifinalists, and nominees! The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Nominees:

Dance

Commercial Dance
Michelle Cheng (CMD, ‘23)
Jonah Smith (CMD, ‘23)

Concert Dance
Courtney Chiu (BCD, ‘23)
Aarilyn Lee (CMD, ‘23)
Daniella Morales (BCD, ‘24)
Alisa Nguyen (BCD, ‘23)

Hip-Hop
Faith Aguilar (CMD, ‘23)
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)

World/Cultural Dance
Saira Galilea Arias (BF, ‘23)
Hannah Ayala (BR, ‘23)
Jude Caguioa Camaya (BR, ‘23)
Constantin Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘23)
Mia Amaris Lopez (BF, ‘23)
Aurelia Philmore (BR, ‘24)


Film and Television

Cinematography
Owen Thomas Blum (FTV, ‘23)
Zen Sing Thai (FTV, ‘23)

Film Directing
Dominic Gonzalez (FTV, ‘23)
Jordan Held (FTV, ‘23)

Promo/Commercial Making
Evan Padilla (FTV, ‘23)


Fine Arts

Drawing
Nina Alvarez (VA, ‘23)
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘24)
Chili Sloop (VA, ‘24)

Mixed Media
Chloe Kim (VA, ‘23)
Alison Amber Lee (VA, ‘23)

Painting
Luke Furca (VA, ‘24)
London San Luis (DM, ‘23)
Cheungwan (Amy) Wang (VA, ‘23)
Melody Wu (VA, ‘24)


Instrumental Music

Jazz
Megan Etzel (IM, ‘23) - Piano
Trent Horio (IM, ‘23) - Tenor saxophone
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) - Piano

Piano
Emilia Djordjevic (IM, ‘23) - Piano
Lucie Kim (IM, ‘24) - Piano

Winds and Percussion
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) - Flute
Aidan Luu (IM, ‘23) - Alto Saxophone
Daniel Park O’Grady (IM, ‘24) - Clarinet
Damian Paul (IM, ‘24) - Percussion
Leo Sui (IM, ‘23) - Trombone

World/Cultural and Commercial Music
Savannah Tweedt (PM, ‘24) - Drum Set and Percussion


Media Arts

Digital Illustration
Ava Diaz (DM, ‘24)
Cindy (Tenna) Kuang (VA, ‘24)
Fatima Mai (VA, ‘24)
Olivia Sarno (DM, ‘23)
Mingxuan Wang (VA, ‘23)

Game Art
Rachel Kondo (DM, ‘24)
Ethan Situ Leung (DM, ‘23)
Vicky H. Nguyen (DM, ‘23)

Motion Graphics and Animation
David Du (FTV, ‘24)

Photography
Candace Ramirez (VA, ‘23)


Theater

Acting
Ava DeVoe (ACT, ‘24)
Elora Sparnicht (CW, ‘23)
Ethan Swartz (ACT, ‘23)

Musical Theater Performance
Alexa Núñez Magaña (MT, ‘23)
Sophie Russ (MT, ‘24)


Vocal Music

Classical Voice
Mia Baron (CV, ‘23)
Grace Huynh (CV, ‘23)
Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)
Sebastian Nunez (CV, ‘24)
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘23)

Cultural and Commercial Voice
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23)

Musical Theater Voice
Chloe Deutschman (MT, ‘24)
Clare Adelaide Murphy (IA, ‘23)
Sophia Ruiz (MT, ‘23)

The following students received National Awards in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Gold Medal Winners
Sailee Charlu (VA, ‘27): Drawing & Illustration, “Family Ties”, “If The Shoe Fits”
Caroline Kim (VA, ‘25): Design, “Kids Tiger Drink Box”
Julie Lim (IA, ‘23): Mixed Media, “Newton’s Third Law”
Irene Son (VA, ‘25): Painting, “Externalizing the Future”
Cheungwan Wang (VA, ‘23): Ceramics & Glass, “Dim Sum”
Huilun Wang (VA, ‘23): Printmaking, “In the Back of the Mind”

Silver Medal Winners
Sailee Charlu (VA, ‘27): Drawing & Illustration, “Who Am I”
Ruth Chen (CW, ‘25): Personal Essay & Memoir, “Wai Po’s Feet”
Caitlyn Mason (CW, ‘23): Poetry, “If Our Bodies are 60% Water, Then my Other 40% Consists of…”
London San Luis (DM, ‘23): Painting, “Look Harder”
Emily Yi (VA, ‘26): Photography, “Reach For Your Dreams”

American Visions Medal Winner
Sailee Charlu (VA, ‘27): Mixed Media, “Eye Of Africa”

Congratulations to the following students for their success in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. These students received Gold Key Regional-at-Large awards. Gold Key recipients were judged at the national level.

Felix Brem (CW, ‘23): Personal Essay & Memoir, “Giants”
Sailee Charlu (VA, ‘27): Drawing & Illustration, “Family Ties”, “If The Shoe Fits”, “Who Am I”; Mixed Media, “Eye Of Africa”; Photography, “A Piece of the Pie”; Sculpture, “A New Home”
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24): Critical Essay, “Exercising Rights: On Youth Civic Engagement”
Ruth Chen (CW, ‘25): Critical Essay, “Waves of Society and Change - A Comparison Essay”; Humor, “Banana Peel”; Poetry, “Season”; Personal Essay & Memoir, “Wai Po’s Feet”
Justine Droullard (CW, ‘24): Science Fiction & Fantasy, “Something About Living”
David Du (FTV, ‘24): Film & Animation, “Life of a Mayfly”
Jaya Gandhi (CW, ‘25): Poetry, “An Abecedarian Poem In Which I Name Myself”
Run (Sarah) Han (PD, ‘27): Drawing & Illustration, “Mirage”
Courtney Hines (CW, ‘24): Short Story, “Speaking to You is Like a Foreign Language”
Seoyun Kang (VA, ‘23): Art Portfolio, “Interpersonal Identity and the Greater Media”; Drawing & Illustration, “Outer Layer”
Caroline Kim (VA, ‘25): Design, “Braille Clothing Tags”, “Kids Tiger Drink Box”
Chaewon Kim (CW, ‘23): Painting, “Hold on tight”, “Open up”, “your hopes are raw and revealed.”
Chloe Kim (VA, ‘23): Painting, “Shelter”
Alison Amber Lee (VA, ‘23): Mixed Media, “Framed in Modernity”
Calene Lee (CW, ‘25): Poetry, “umbrella”
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘24): Painting, “Changeable and Unchangeable”
Julie Lim (IA, ‘23): Mixed Media, “Newton’s Third Law”, “The Outside Forces”
Evan Lu (VA, ‘23): Editorial Cartoon, “Perpetual”; Painting, “Solitude”
Caitlyn Mason (CW, ‘23): Poetry, “If Our Bodies are 60% Water, Then my Other 40% Consists of…”
London San Luis (DM, ‘23): Painting, “Look Harder”
Amy Shi (CW, ‘24): Short Story, “Fixer”
Irene Son (VA, ‘25): Painting, “Externalizing the Future”
Lola Suleiman (CW, ‘23): Flash Fiction, “They’re Still Burning Witches”
Cheungwan Wang (VA, ‘23): Ceramics & Glass, “Dim Sum”
Huilun Wang (VA, ‘23): Printmaking, “In the Back of the Mind”
Emily Wen (VA, ‘26): Drawing & Illustration, “Banana Appétit”
Melody Wu (VA, ‘24): Painting, “The Long-Awaited Delivery”
Keyun Xiao (VA, ‘25): Painting, “Motherhood”
Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24): Poetry, “from the beginning, we were, and we were not: an abecedarian poem”, “Pantoum”
Emily Yi (VA, ‘26): Photography, “A Father’s Light at the End of the Tunnel”, “Reach For Your Dreams”
Audrey Yoo (VA, ‘24): Drawing & Illustration, “Self Portrait of a Tired Artist”
Lauren Young (PD, ‘26): Critical Essay, “The Monster is Here: Tech, Glorifying Efficiency, and the Rise of Autocrats”; Poetry, “Ode to an Unknown Glacier, Ode to an Unknown Artist”, “Elegy to My Paintbrush”
Jiin Yun (CW, ‘24): Poetry, “We, the animals of the United Oceans”
Olivia Yun (VA, ‘25): Painting, “Daydreaming”

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

Felix Brem (CW, ‘23): Poetry, “Failed Pigmalion”
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24): Poetry, “All in a Night’s Work”
Ruth Chen (CW, ‘25): Flash Fiction, “Dance of the Butterflies”; Poetry, “Like Glass”
Isabella Cho (ACT, ‘27): Personal Essay & Memoir, “The Dress, The Stain, and The Friend”
Emilia Djordjevic (IM, ‘23): Personal Essay & Memoir, “Wet Syrup”
Jadon Han (CW, ‘25): Personal Essay & Memoir, “The Brown Line”
Ashley Hong (CW, ‘24): Personal Essay & Memoir, “Holding Hands”
Cynthia Huang (CW, ‘24): Poetry, “Colorblind”
Seoyun Kang (VA, ‘23): Mixed Media, “Perception”, “Persistence to Stay Anonymous”; Painting, “Gift: Holiday Wine Glass”
Sophia Kang (PD, ‘24): Short Story, “Alone at the Aquarium”
Bethany Kim (CW, ‘26): Science Fiction & Fantasy, “The Land At The Middle In Nowhere”
Chaewon Kim (CW, ‘23): Photography, “Pieta In Loose Threads”
Lauren (Minyoung) Kim (CW, ‘24): Digital Art, “Cement”
Leo Lai (CW, ‘24): Critical Essay, “The Fishing Industry: Catching an Environmental Issue”
Alison Amber Lee (VA, ‘23): Art Portfolio, “Dismantling Repetition”; Mixed Media, “Torrential Era”
Amanda Lee (IM, ‘23): Personal Essay & Memoir, “Sacred”
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘24): Drawing & Illustration, “Invasion”; Painting, “Addiction”
Julie Lim (IA, ‘23): Mixed Media, “Neo Age”
Caitlyn Mason (CW, ‘23): Flash Fiction, “(Hello)”; Poetry, “How to Be Perfect”
Ava Park (VA, ‘25): Painting, “Submerged”; Sculpture, “Playing Chess”
London San Luis (DM, ‘23): Painting, “Adan”, “Follower of Tradition”
Ashima Sharma (CW, ‘25): Poetry, “My Grandmother’s Map”
Ashley Shin (VA, ‘25): Painting, “Nostalgia”
Sohun Shin (VA, ‘24): Painting, “Walking Chaos”
Clara Son (CW, ‘23): Poetry, “Fire Tests Gold”; “Suffering Tests a Woman”
Irene Son (VA, ‘25): Painting, “Escapism”, “Foundational Sacrifice”
Lola Suleiman (CW, ‘23): Personal Essay & Memoir, “The Countdown”
Arianna Torres (CW, ‘23): Poetry, “Loveless Ring”
Charlton Tsai (CW, ‘24): Poetry, “One Day”
Claudia Tsai (VA, ‘24): Drawing & Illustration, “Seeker”
Cheungwan Wang (VA, ‘23): Photography, “Animal Claw Machine”
Huilun Wang (VA, ‘23): Painting, “Rule of Creation”; Sculpture, “Elapsed”
Yimeng Wang (CW, ‘25): Poetry, “My Mother”
Melody Wu (VA, ‘24): Painting, “The War is Here”
Keyun Xiao (VA, ‘25): Painting, “Overflow”
Kevin Yang (VA, ‘24): Sculpture, “Reminiscences of a Bitter Tune”
Lacole Yang (CW, ‘24): Poetry, “Midst of the Fog”
Mia Yen (CW, ‘24): Flash Fiction, “It’s Brevity”
Emily Yi (VA, ‘26): Drawing & Illustration, “Blossoming Gift of Love”; Fashion, “Upcycle Coffee Sack Project: Bohemian Bliss”; Photography, “Man on the Sand”, “Manhole”
Audrey Yoo (VA, ‘24): Digital Art, “Do You Hear Something?”, “Franken-pigeon”
Lauren Young (PD, ‘26): Drawing & Illustration, “Snakes in Bloom”; Personal Essay & Memoir, “Beckoning Us Into Beauty”
Jiin Yun (CW, ‘24): Critical Essay, “The Impact of Guns on the American Education System”
Olivia Yun (VA, ‘25): Drawing & Illustration, “Embrace”; Painting, “Metamorphosis”
Margaret Zhang (DM, ‘24): Digital Art, “One in the Same”

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

Felix Brem (CW, ‘23): Journalism, “A Cog in the Machine: SAT History & Test Optional Colleges”
Kaitlyn Byer (CW, ‘25): Personal Essay & Memoir, “How I Became Beautiful”
Ruth Chen (CW, ‘25): Flash Fiction, “Grandma’s Hands”, “Hi again”; Poetry, “Colors”; Short Story, “Golden Colors”, “The Summer Rain”
Hailey Cho (BCD, ‘25): Journalism, “Professional Actor Convicted of Robbery and Battery on a Cruise Ship”; Personal Essay & Memoir, “Hard Work Doesn't Always Pay Off?”
Jennifer Choi (VA, ‘26): Comic Art, “Into Reality”; Drawing & Illustration, “My life”
Ryan Choi (ACT, ‘24): Critical Essay, “Everything is real, and therefore, nothing is”; Personal Essay & Memoir, “Unrefined”
Justine Droullard (CW, ‘24): Painting, “Depth”, “Peek-A-Boo”; Short Story, “Rain Boots”
Run (Sarah) Han (PD, ‘27): Drawing & Illustration, “Anticipation”, “Distorted Reality”, “Eyes That Tell a Story”, “Memories”
Courtney Hines (CW, ‘24): Personal Essay & Memoir, “Inconstant Senses.”
Jenna Catherine Ho (VA, ‘26): Drawing & Illustration, “Journey”
Mankio Hong (PD, ‘26): Digital Art, “Triple Gaze”
Anna Huang (CW, ‘24): Flash Fiction, “What She Heard”
Cynthia Huang (CW, ‘24): Poetry, “Her Body is Fast Fashion”
Joy Jin (CW, ‘26): Short Story, “Popsicle Kid”
Jamie Jung (CW, ‘24): Poetry, “CODA: Child of Depressed Adult”; Short Story, “Our Body”
Sona Kamaraj (VA, ‘24): Painting, “Dyeing Dimensions”
Seoyun Kang (VA, ‘23): Painting, “Displayed”; Digital Art, “Pulse”
Estella Sky Keong (CV, ‘25): Photography, “Father of Light, The Messenger of Acropolis”
Bethany Kim (CW, ‘26): Flash Fiction, “Imaginations of Reality”
Caroline Kim (VA, ‘25): Digital Art, “Automated”
Chaewon Kim (CW, ‘23): Art Portfolio, “Don’t Get Lost”; Fashion, “Jelly”; Mixed Media, “Go bird go! Power Fowlers: Can They Adapt To The Wild?”, “Home is a familiar place I’ve never been”; Painting, “Where are you, my lost babies?”
Donggyu Kim (VA, ‘24): Painting, “Autumn Waxwings”, “It Lurks in the Reef”
Frances Kim (IA, ‘24): Comic Art, “A Birthday Visit”
Gigi Kim (VA,’25): Drawing & Illustration, “Skittles”
Hennah Kim (CW, ‘25): Poetry, “A is for Anorexia”
Ina Kim (CW, ‘26): Short Story, “The Meet Up”
Jaden Kim (IM, ‘25): Critical Essay, “The Matthew Effect and How Discriminatory Economic Policies Impacted African American Communities”
Jennifer Kim (VA, ‘25): Mixed Media, “Mental’s Artificial”; Sculpture, “Through It All”

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

Kyle Kim (FTV, ‘25): Film & Animation, “Between the Bars”
Clara Kye (VA, ‘24): Personal Essay & Memoir, “Soul Food”
Alison Amber Lee (VA, ‘23): Mixed Media, “Portrait of the Future”, “Pyebaek: Fertility Wish”; Printmaking, “Repeated Fate”
Julie Lim (IA, ‘23): Art Portfolio, “Nature vs Nurture”
Evan Lu (VA, ‘23): Painting, “Midnight”, “Serenity”
Caitlyn Mason (CW, ‘23): Dramatic Script, “New Year’s Day”
Brielle Murphy (IA, ‘24): Short Story, “Ocean”
Eunice Oh (VA, ‘24): Digital Art, “Let Me Rot”
Lindsey Robertson (VA, ‘23): Digital Art, “The Library, Wish We Could Turn Back Time”
London San Luis (DM, ‘23): Painting, “Kendall Last Year”; Art Portfolio, “mine, not yours.”
Aadya Sharma (IM, ‘24): Personal Essay & Memoir, “How To Ride a Scooter”; Critical Essay, “In the Name of Progress: an Examination of American Racism”
Amy Shi (CW, ‘24): Short Story, “Scylla in a Box”
Ashley Shin (VA, ‘25): Drawing & Illustration, “Deconstruction”
Clara Son (CW, ‘23): Poetry, “Demeter’s Daughter”
Charlton Tsai (CW, ‘24): Poetry, “Foods Correlating to my Asian-American Identity”
Kate Um (CV, ‘24): Drawing & Illustration, “Music Comes From the Heart”
Alyssa Uy (VA, ‘24): Drawing & Illustration, “Wilting Memories”
Cheungwan Wang (VA, ‘23): Expanded Projects, “Emotional Trash”
YanJun Wang (VA, ‘26): Painting, “Birthday Leftovers”
Melody Wu (VA, ‘24): Drawing & Illustration, “Brainwashing China”, “Yan’an Road”; Mixed Media, “It Never Ends”
Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24): Flash Fiction, “hazelnut”
Jessica Yang (IA, ‘24): Short Story, “Erstwhile Friend”
Kevin Yang (VA, ‘24): Architecture & Industrial Design, “Warped Labyrinth”
Emily Yi (VA, ‘26): Photography, “LAX”, “Longing”, “Reflection”, “Sea Woman in Jeju Island”, “Tired”, “Vintage Tokyo House”, “Walking on Sand Carpet”; Sculpture, “Liberate Your Alebrije”
Lauren Young (PD, ‘26): Poetry, “Snakes in Bloom”
Jiin Yun (CW, ‘24): Critical Essay, “Caged in a Zoo: Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby”; Personal Essay & Memoir, “Sparks Fly”
Margaret Zhang (DM, ‘24): Drawing & Illustration, “Invasive Growth”
Carina Zheng (VA, ‘24): Sculpture, “Generations”; Painting, “Palpitation”

The following students of OCSA’s Middle School Science Olympiad Team competed against 20 other middle school teams at the Orange County Regional Tournament and earned an overall third place as a team. Twenty students placed in the top six and received medals for their categories. The team also advanced to the state championships and placed third overall, with students medaling in the top six of 17 categories.

Sailee Charlu (VA, ‘27)
Lila Olson (IA, ‘26)
Juneau Foxlin (IMS, ‘26)
Iva (Jiaying) Liu (CV, ‘27)
Samantha Wu (MT, ‘27)
Jeremy Lee (IM, ‘28)
Armaan Diwan (IM, ‘27)
Skyler Tran (IMP, ‘28)
Sterling Tran (IMP, ‘27)
Jackson Tran (IA, ‘27)
Lauren Young (PD, ‘26)
Henry Courtney (CV, ‘26)
Olivia Song (CV, ‘28)
Seojin Park (IMP, ‘28)
Sophie Paulsen (MT, ‘27)

Natalia Nouri (IA, ‘28) published a book titled “Dealing With Divorce: A How-To For Kids On Coping With Divorce.”

The following students are members of the hip-hop competition team, Gravy Babies, that won first place against 15 teams at the 2022 Bridge Juniors Dance Competition, one of Southern California’s largest hip-hop competitions for juniors and adults.

Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)
Kaelee Cortez (IA, ‘25)
Sydney Mae Estrella (IA, ‘26)
Jasmine Lee (CMD, ‘26)
Devin Vo (IA, ‘26)
Jadon Vo (CMD, ‘25)

The OCSA student club Two Step Together competed in the Glendale Games Dance Competition and received the following awards.

First Place (11th Grade Hip-Hop Solo Division)
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)

Hip-Hop Solo Victor Award
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)


Third Place (Co-Ed Hip-Hop Division)
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)
Howard Choi (FTV, ‘25)
Kaelee Cortez (IA, ‘25)
Sydney Mae Estrella (IA, ‘26)
Jasmine Lee (CMD, ‘26)
Devin Vo (IA, ‘26)
Jadon Vo (CMD, ‘25)

The following students were selected as 2023 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 students receive three weekends of leadership training and hands-on mentorship from local business professionals.

Autistic2Artistic: Justin “JT” Freeman (PM, ‘25)
Brain Aneurysms: An Underlooked Disturbance: Ramzi Idriss (FTV, ‘26)
DearMe: Rohan Soni (PM, ‘26)
EpiSTEMic: Lyn Huang (CW, ‘24) and Xinchun Audrey Zhang (IM, ‘24)
Find Your Light: Lana Lee (IA, ‘26)
Project Insight: Taren Azizi (ACT, ‘25) and Audrey Kim (ACT, ‘25)
Somewhere In Time: Kyle Kim (FTV, ‘25) and Kaylie Viloria (PD, ‘25)
Teacher's Pet: Natalie Hoffman (CW, ‘25)
The Recycling Dictionary: Mary Hong (PD, ‘26) and Jiin Yun (CW, ‘24)
Two Step Together: Edward Chen (IA, ‘24) and Jadon Vo (CMD, ‘25)

The following OCSA Honors Chemistry students competed in the first-year American Chemical Society (ACS) competition. Due to the students' high combined scores, OCSA earned a Top 6 Team award among all Orange County schools. Additionally, Dane Bergman (IA, ‘25) earned the top score for OCSA and received special recognition at the ACS awards banquet.

Dane Bergman (IA, ‘25)
Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25)
Grant (James) Conroy (CV, ‘25)
Sky (Estella) Keyoung (CV, ‘25)
Hennah Kim (CW, ‘25)
Minjae (Jaden) Kim (IM, ‘25)
Mican Lai (FTV, ‘25)
Elenna (Jeongwon) Park (IA, ‘25)

The following students were recognized as grand prize finalists, semifinalists, and finalist award winners in The Music Center’s 34th 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 then auditions once more, and the top two finalist performers in each category are selected for a total of 14 Grand Prize Finalists.

Grand Prize Finalists:

Classical Voice
Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)

Semifinalists:

Ballet
Preston Walker (BCD, ‘26)

Dance
Sammi Chung (CMD, '24)
Ayanna Dowell (CMD, '23)
Andrea Martinez (BF, ‘25)
Mallory McKenna (CMD, '23)
Isabella Silva (IA, ‘26)

Classical Instrumental
Ariana Kim (IM, ‘25)
Calene Lee (CW, '25)

Jazz Instrumental
Ian Shin (IM, ‘24)
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

Non-Classical Voice
Joan Park (PM, ‘23)

Classical Voice
Grace Huynh (CV, ‘23)
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24)

Haley Kleinman (IA, ‘24) self-published her first young adult fiction novel, “The World of Shadows,” a dystopian science fiction book, available on Amazon.

Jordan Held (FTV, ‘23), Caleb Malis (IA, ‘23), and Noah Granados (ACT, ‘23) created the short film, “Ovaryacting.” Jordan wrote, directed, produced, and acted in the film. Caleb and Noah also acted in the film. "Ovaryacting" has been selected for eight film festivals and won seven awards, including Best Writer at the SCREEN High School Film Festival, Best Writer and Best Performance for an Actor (Caleb Malis) at WESTFLIX Film Festival, and the Silver Remi Award for Student Film Production at Worldfest: Houston’s International Film Festival. In addition, "Ovaryacting" was a semifinalist at the New Optics Film Festival and an award winner at IndieFEST Film Awards. The film was also selected by the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival and 1 World Student Film Festival to be screened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Please watch here https://youtu.be/LSeyML0J_do

Raelynn Green (IA, ‘23) was selected to model for designer Betsey Johnson in an '80s prom-themed project.

The following students were recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation, one of the only organizations in the U.S. that supports artists across 10 disciplines at all stages of development, beginning with the critical moment when they decide to pursue a life in the arts and continuing throughout their careers. Their mission is to identify exceptional young artists, amplify their potential, and invest in their lifelong creative freedom.

Finalists:

Classical Music
Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25) – Oboe
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24) – Violoncello

Dance
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24) – Hip-Hop

Design Art
Caroline Kim (VA, ‘25)

Voice
Joan Park (PM, ‘23) – Popular

Writing
Ashley Park (CW, ‘23) – Spoken Word

Honorable Mentions:

Film
David Du (FTV, ‘24) – Documentary
Amelie Muro (FTV, ‘22) – Experimental

Voice
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23) – Popular
Ava Ulloa (PM, ‘22) – Popular
Jocelyn Wang (PM, ‘23) – Singer-Songwriting

Writing
Olivia Le (CW, ‘25) – Spoken Word

Joshua D'Souza (IA, ‘25) earned his Eagle Rank this year after being in the Boy Scouts for 10 years. His Eagle Project was the competition of a prayer garden at the Lamb of God maternity home.

The following students were named semifinalists for the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic scholarship competition, where students can receive recognition and university scholarships. Semifinalists are recognized for their academic and extracurricular achievements, putting these students in a pool of less than 1% of high schoolers in the nation.

Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)
Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24)
Joseph Ho (IM, ‘24)
Tane Kim (IM, ‘24)
Katerina Malabarba (CW, ‘24)
Elise Park (FTV, ‘24)
Aadya Sharma (IM, ‘24)
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)
Luke Toner (IM, ‘24)
Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)
Lacole Yang (CW, ‘24)
James Yi (CW, ‘24)
Xinchun Zhang (IM, ‘24)

For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/41cHgkX

Milo Karnes (IA, ‘24) and Abbi Park (CW, ‘24) earned perfect scores on their AP Research exam, making them part of a select group of only 1.26% of students worldwide who received this distinction.

Ethan Baker (IA, ‘26) won the Junior Division Gold Medal at the Orange Coast Mixed Foil Competition in Santa Ana. Foil is one of three types of weaponry used in the sport of fencing.

The following students performed in the children’s choir that was featured in the musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” presented by McCoy Rigby Entertainment at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Cameron Avery (ACT, ‘27)
Jasmine Melwani (IA, ‘25)
Adrienne Morrow (MT, ‘25)
Angelina Pendleton-Mendez (PM, ‘27)
Sydney Sublette (CV, ‘26)
Erin Tardibuono (MT, ‘25)
Ava Villacorta (MT, ‘27)
Emma Woodward (CV, ‘27)

Jordan Held (FTV, ‘23) was awarded the Outstanding Young Filmmaker Short at the 2023 Newport Beach Film Festival for her film “Ovaryacting.” She also won the Young Filmmakers Competition at the 2023 Austin Film Festival. Jordan was featured in an article by KVUE, Austin’s ABC affiliate, alongside Caleb Malis (IA, ‘23), who was the lead actor in the film. To read the article, please visit: https://bit.ly/46LHjWf

Julie Mejer (IA, ‘29) won First Place in her age group for piano at the LA Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition. She also won Third Place at the Charleston 19th Century Music Competition and a Special Mention in her age group for the London International Music Competition.

Members of the OCSA Robotics Team were invited to compete at the One World Showcase Event at University of California, Berkeley. Five teams from OCSA competed against 115 other teams from around the country. One of the five teams, Z Squared, was composed of Olivia Lee (VA, ‘25), Sunny Li (IM, ‘24), and Samantha Park (IA, ‘25), making them one of the less than 5% of teams that were made of all female members. Z Squared placed 7th out of 115 in only their second year of robotics. Below is the full list of the OCSA students who participated in the One World Showcase Event.

Shining Chen (CW, ‘26)
Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25)
Evan Choe (VA, ‘25)
Rhea Dayal (VA, ‘28)
Juneau Foxlin (IM, ‘26)
Justin Hong (IM, ‘25)
Peyton Hsu (AE, ‘27)
Jason Lee (IM, ‘27)
Olivia Lee (VA, ‘25)
Sunny Li (IM, ‘24)
Edward Luna (IM, ‘24)
Danny O’Grady (IM, ‘24)
Samantha Park (IA, ‘25)
Taven Rong (IM, ‘28)
Paul Seo (DM, ‘26)
Kaya Simsek (CAH, ‘26)
Kara Syn (IM, ‘24)
George Weichel (PD, ‘27)
Ryan Yoo (CAH, ‘25)
Beatrice Yu (PM, ‘28)
Jojo Yu (CMD, ‘25)

The following students were recognized as 2023 YoungArts Winners by the National YoungArts Foundation for their artistic achievements. YoungArts Award Winners received a monetary award of $250 and those with Distinction are invited to participate in National YoungArts Week and have their work further evaluated for cash awards of up to $10,000. Attendees of National YoungArts Week who meet the eligibility requirements are also considered for nomination to the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

YoungArts Award Winners:
Summer Brennan (PM, ‘25) – Voice (Popular & Singer-Songwriter)
Lyla Briggs (CMD, ‘26) – Dance (Ballet)
David Du (FTV, ‘24) – Film (Narrative)
Claire Harmsen (PM, ‘26) – Voice (Popular)
Jaden Kim (IM, ‘25) – Classical Music (Violin)
Olivia Le (CW, ‘25) – Writing (Spoken Word)
Jasmine Lee (CMD, ‘26) – Dance (Hip-Hop)
Allie Molin (IM, ‘25) – Jazz (Trumpet)
Hugo Nguyen (PM, ‘24) – Voice (Jazz)
Arianna Ramirez (BF, ‘26) – Dance (World Dance: Mexican Folkloric)
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24) – Voice (Classical: Soprano)
Bella Silva (IA, ‘26) – Dance (Tap)
Jadon Vo (CMD, ‘25) – Dance (Hip-Hop)
Preston Walker (BCD, ‘26) – Dance (Ballet)
Chloe Woo (IM, ‘27) – Writing (Nonfiction)

YoungArts Award With Distinction Winners:
William Bolin (CV, ‘24) – Voice (Classical Bass)
Asher Hinton (PM, ‘24) – Voice (Popular & Singer-Songwriter)
Jaime Jung (CW, ‘24) – Writing (Spoken Word)
Evee Lee (CMD, 26) – Dance (Modern Contemporary)
Bella Silva (IA, ‘26) – Dance (Tap)

Avery Mizrahi (IA, ‘24) was a recipient of the Gold Congressional Award, which recognizes youth leaders who complete 400 volunteer hours, 200 personal development hours, and 200 physical fitness hours. This award recognizes Avery’s many achievements, which include being President of the Southern California Youth Neuroscience Association (SCYNA) and other community service organizations, her scientific research, language learning, and preparation for her 2023 dance tour across Europe.

Kiara Widjaja (IA, ‘27) was second runner-up in the category of Amateur Tissu (Ages 13-14) at the 11th West Coast Aerial Arts Festival. This four-day competition recognizes the athletic skills and dedication of young Aerial Arts performers.

The following students participated in the Orange Coast College Fashion Show, celebrating Surf and Skate culture.

Mordecai Mehau (IA, ‘26)
Maggie Moland (ACT, ‘24)
Jules Schuld (CV, ‘24) - Winner, Rising Star category
Siena Stark (ACT, ‘24) - Winner, Rising Star category
Nicole Sun (VA, ‘24)

The following OCSA Advanced Placement Chemistry students collectively placed fourth out of 33 Orange County schools in the local section exam for the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad. The top four scorers will be honored at an awards dinner presented by the Orange County Section of the American Chemical Society. This local exam is the first stepping stone of many, with an opportunity to compete internationally.

Dane Bergman (IA, ‘24) - Top Scorer
Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25)
James Conroy (CV, ‘25)
Natalie Hoffman (CW, ‘25)
Jessica Hong (CW, ‘24)
Hennah Kim (CW, ‘25)
Micah Lai (FTV, ‘25)
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

The OCSA Tennis Team defeated Marina High School and won the Final at their league tournament at the Cabrillo Tennis Center/Matchpoint Tennis Academy in Santa Ana. The OCSA Tennis Team is a USTA junior tennis-sanctioned team coached by Danny Salloum. The following students comprise the team.

Charles Blumling (IA, ‘25)
James Conroy (CV, ‘25)
Quinn Conroy (BR, ‘27)
Megan Demeter (DM, ‘27)
Armaan Diwan (IM, ‘27)
Evan Jo (VA, ‘25)
Aleena Khan (IA, ‘28)
Caroline Kim (VA, ‘25)
Kyle Siu (CW, ‘25)
Leah Siu (DM, ‘27)
Teagan Spiak (AE, ‘26)

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, and semi-finalists for the 2024 Artist of the Year. The program highlighted over 800 talented students from across the county, 84 of which were OCSA students:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR WINNERS:

Caroline Kim (VA, ‘25) - Fine Arts
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24) - Vocal Music
Jadon Wu (IM, ‘25) - Instrumental Music

FINALISTS:

Dance
Mackenzie Couch (CMD, ‘24)
Piper Rovsek (CMD, ‘25)

Fine Arts
Chili Sloop (VA, ‘24)
Melody Wu (VA, ‘24)

Instrumental Music
Savannah Tweedt (IM, ‘24)

Theater
Ava DeVoe (ACT, ‘24)
Isabella Kim (ACT, ‘25)
Kaya Sparnicht (ACT, ‘25)

Vocal Music
William Bolin (CV, ‘24)

SEMI-FINALISTS

Dance
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)
Katie Couch (CMD, ‘25)
Isabella Guzman (BF, ‘25)
Katelyn Hu (BCD, ‘24)

Film and TV
David Du (FTV, ‘24)
Elise Park (FTV, ‘24)
Alex Wolff (FTV, ‘23)
Sadira Wong (FTV, ‘24)

Fine Arts
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘24)
Grace Shin (VA, ‘24)
Minnie Zhai (VA, ‘24)

Instrumental Music
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24)
Minjae Jaden Kim (IM, ‘25)
Allie Molin (IM, ‘25)
Fenella Nishigawara (IM, ‘24)

Media Arts
Ava Diaz (DM, ‘24)
Jasmine Diep (DM, ‘25)
Angie Wang (FTV, ‘26)

Theater
Corinne Thomas (IA, ‘24)

Vocal Music
Madison Becerra (CV, ‘25)
Summer Brennan (PM, ‘25)
Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)
Chloe Ness (CV, ‘24)
Joules Recana (PM, ‘25)

The Orange County Register announced the nominees for the 2024 Artist of the Year. The program highlighted over 800 talented students from across the county, 84 of which were OCSA students:

NOMINEES

Dance
Constantin Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘24)
Gabriel Cho (BR, ‘24)
Kameron Couch (CMD, ‘25)
Violet Lopiccola (BCD, ‘24)
Avril Martinez (BF, ‘24)
Daniella Morales (BCD, ‘24)

Film and TV
Ramone Hamilton (FTV, ‘24)
Ella Lindner (FTV, ‘24)
Quentin Marino (FT, ‘24)
Diego Andres Terán (FTV, ‘24)

Fine Arts
Isabella Chiodo (VA, ‘25)
Luke Furca (VA, ‘24)
Clara Kye (VA, ‘24)
Jonathan Leanos-Villanueva (VA, ‘25)
Alex Maldonado (VA, ‘24)
Ciel Mitrovich (VA, ‘24)
Eunice Yoonsu Oh (VA, ‘24)
Claudia Tsai (VA, ‘24)
Jenny Wang (VA, ‘25)
Cindy Zhang (VA, ‘24)

Instrumental Music
Maddox Kennerson (PM, ‘25)
Damian Paul (IM, ‘24)
Aadya Sharma (IM, ‘24)

Media Arts
Violet Adams (VA, ‘24)
Rafael Carrera (DM, ‘24)
Ash Chiov (DM, ‘25)
Robert Martin (DM, ‘24)
Seito Miwa (DM, ‘25)
Fatima Nguyen (VA, ‘24)
Valerie Truc-Mai Nguyen (VA, ‘25)
Victoria Phan (DM, ‘25)
Adrian Resendiz (FTV, ‘24)
Allyn Richardson (IA, ‘24)
Alyssa Uy (VA, ‘24)
Jorryn Voegele (VA, ‘24)
Jhernice Yandoc (DM, ‘25)
Jessica Yang (IA, ‘24)

Theater
Grace Abbott (ACT, ‘24)
Chloe Deutschman (MT, ‘24)
Lukas Loza (PD, ‘24)
Hannah Osier (IA, ‘24)
Isabella Rivas (ACT, ‘24)
Levi Sternshein (ACT, ‘24)

Vocal Music
Lal Besir (CV, ‘25)
Asher Hinton (PM, ‘24)
Estella Sky Keyoung (CV, ‘25)
Hugo Nguyen (PM, ‘24)
Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

Noah Granados (ACT, ‘23), Jordan Held (FTV, ‘23), and Caleb Malis (IA, ‘23) were honored by The American Pavilion’s 2024 Emerging Filmmaker Showcase for their work on “Ovaryacting.” The film was selected and announced at the Cannes-hosted The American Pavilion showcase and screened at the American Library in Paris.

The following OCSA Taekwondo students successfully tested to higher level belts in April. Spearheaded by 8th degree black beIt Stephen Amsler (Elective Teacher), it was the largest graduation to date of OCSA students.

3rd Degree Black Belt
Chili Sloop (VA, ‘24)
Luke Stark (FTV, ‘24)

2nd Degree Black Belt
Jenna Ho (VA, ‘26)
John Kuli (ACT, ‘26)
Nikun Liu (CV, ‘26)
Eleazar Reiner (CW, ‘26)
Luke Sakurai (IM, ‘26)

1st Degree Black Belt
Milan Albert-Holty (CW, ‘25)
Roman Elson (ACT, ‘26)
Grace Fleischmann (VA, ‘25)
Jaya Gandhi (CW, ‘25)
Tristan Gude (ACT, ‘26)
Carissa Hahn (IM, ‘27)
Yein Han (CW, ‘25)
Ksena Eve Jenkins (IA, ‘26)
Micah Kay (PD, ‘26)
Brendan Knox (PM, ‘25)
Ruby Lau (CW, ‘27)
Alana Liang (CV, ‘26)
Emma Nevell (PM, ‘27)
Erica Park (FTV, ‘27)
Nino Raimondo (IA, ‘27)
Cole Schulein (CAH, ‘25)
Thomas Song (IM, ‘25)
Dylan Spence (VA, ‘26)
Amina Straughn (VA, ‘27)

William Bolin (CV, ‘24), Edward Chen (IA, ‘24), Amy Jong (IM, ‘24), and Jamie Jung (CW, ‘24) were selected among 625 semifinalists to advance to the final round of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars competition.

Edward Chen (IA, ‘24) was named a 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts for demonstrating academic and artistic excellence. Having first been named a YoungArts Winner for Dance in 2023, Edward was one of just twenty students selected in 2024 as the nation’s most talented young artists.

OCSA’s Junior Thespian Troupe 6826 participated in the Junior Thespian Festival hosted on OCSA’s campus. All participating middle school students received Superior Thespy awards, while also receiving two Judge’s Choice Awards and one First Place title as a group. Listed below are OCSA students who won an award.

Rohan Ganesan (ACT, ‘28)
Finn Pauley-Rodriguez (ACT, ‘28)
Daniel Peters (ACT, ‘28)
Kayleigh Thompson (ACT, ‘29)
Macy Wong (IA, ‘29)

Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25), Micah Lai (FTV, ‘25), Matthew Martono (IM, ‘25), Liam Ramos (IM, ‘24), Joshua Ta (IA, ‘24), and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) competed in the 2024 VEX Robotics California State Championship event. Together as Team Charles 92782A, they qualified for this event by winning the Excellence Award at an earlier tournament in their season.

The following OCSA Honors Chemistry students earned Fifth Place among all Orange County schools for their combined scores in the First-Year American Chemical Society (ACS) competition. They received a team plaque at the ACS banquet.

Marcello Bui (ACT, ‘26)
Juneau Foxlin (IM, ‘26) – Top Scorer
Lila Olson (IA, ‘26)
Rohan Soni (PM, ‘26)
Gloria Xiong (IA, ‘26)
Charlotte Yoh (VA, ‘26)
Lauren Young (VA, ‘26)

The following OCSA students were recipients of the 2024 Dragon Kim Foundation Fellowship. The Dragon Kim Fellowship program includes six months of training, mentorship, and hands-on leadership to help students launch community-changing project ideas from start to finish. Some OCSA students worked together for their projects, while some worked alongside students from other schools. See below for the project names and their OCSA fellows.

Community Canvas
Luke Shin (VA, ‘25)
Olivia Yun (VA, ‘25)

Heart-to-Art
Vedant Dayal (CW, ‘25)
Ashima Sharma (CW, ‘25)

Little Steps
Samantha Bailey (VA, ‘26)
Maiya Leung (DM, ‘26)
Emily Yi (VA, ‘26)

Malama
Ava Villacorta (MT, ‘27)

Meal Mentors
Elizabeth Bancroft (BR, ‘26)
Stella Mulholland (CAH, ‘26)
Talia Rosenblatt (AE, ‘26)

The Joy of Dance
Aaron Chang (CMD, ‘26)
Devin Vo (IA, ‘25)

Kiara Widjaja (IA, ‘27) won First Place in the Open Elite Teen 15-17 division for her aerial rope performance at the West Coast Aerial Arts Festival (WCAAF). The 12th season of the WCAAF four-day aerial competition event was open to students, performers, professionals, enthusiasts, and families who want to showcase their talents as aerial artists.

Zoya Kolapalli (IA, ‘30) was named 2024 Junior Olympic All American First Team for her performance with the Patriot Water Polo Club. Zoya also took home the Gold with her team in the Kap7 Water Polo Champions Cup Girls Division.

YoungArts Award Winners receive a monetary award of $250, and Winners with Distinction are invited to participate in National YoungArts Week and have their work further evaluated for cash awards of up to $10,000. Attendees of National YoungArts Week who meet the eligibility requirements are also considered for nomination to the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

Classical
Ariana Kim (IM, ‘26) - Bassoon (Winner with Distinction)
Jaden Kim (IM, ‘25) - Violin
Jiyu Lee (IM, ‘26) - Violin

Dance
Carissa Hsu (BCD, ‘26) - Modern/Contemporary (Winner with Distinction)
Jasmine Lee (CMD, ‘26) - Hip-Hop (Winner with Distinction)
Arianna Ramirez (BF, ‘26) - World Dance: Mexican Folkloric
Jadon Vo (CMD, ‘25) - Hip-Hop
Preston Walker (BCD) - Ballet

Design
Chaeyeon Kim (VA, ‘27)
Jennifer Kim (VA, ‘25) - Winner with Distinction

Film
Victoria Pham (DM, ‘25) - Winner with Distinction
Alisha Zhao (DM, ‘25)

Jazz
Samuel Chung (IM, ‘25) - Saxophone/Tenor
Nicholas Doan (IM, ‘24) - Double Bass
Allie Molin (IM, ‘25) - Trumpet

Voice
Isabella Both (MT, ‘25) - Popular
Summer Brennan (PM, ‘25) - Popular (Winner with Distinction)
Isabella Le (PM, ‘26) - Singer-Songwriter
Joules Recana (PM, ‘25) - Popular
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24) - Classical

Writing
Olivia Le (CW, ‘25) - Spoken Word (Winner with Distinction)
Lana Lee (IA, ‘26) - Spoken Word
Chloe Woo (IM, ‘27) - Nonfiction
Chloe Yang (CW, ‘27) - Nonfiction (Winner with Distinction)

Mia Yang (IA, ‘27) won First Place in the International Youth Art Competition at The Le Venezie International Watercolor Festival. The second-annual event focused on watercolor in contemporary art and bridging artists from Italy, China, and other countries worldwide.

Lana Lee (IA, ‘26) and Devin Weaver (ACT, ‘26) successfully wrapped up their third year of Find Your Light OC, their nonprofit musical theatre camp. With the help of their fellow OCSA students – Nathan Han (MT, ‘26), Anais Legras (IA, ’28), Jacqueline Nguyen (IA, ‘28), and Mackenzie Vallejo (IA, ‘26) – and their partners at the Boys and Girls Club of Tustin and the OC Rescue Mission, the camp welcomed 80 students this year. Find Your Light OC was founded by Lana and Mia Geiss (MT, ‘24) in 2022. The student-led organization focuses on bridging the socioeconomic gap in performing arts education by offering free, weeklong musical theatre camps to kids in underserved communities, while addressing mental health and building self-confidence. Their commitment to the performing arts and dedication to their community were recognized by Senator Tom Umberg.