More than 800 students across the country were recognized as winners with distinction by the national YoungArts program for their talents in a variety of artistic disciplines such as music, writing and visual arts.
Approximately 40 students from Orange County were named 2025 YoungArts winners — with 12 of those receiving special honors — across 10 categories including dance, photography, design and film, just to name a few. A complete list of winners can be found on the National YoungArts program site.
Students named winners with distinction will be eligible to be entered to become a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts — one of the highest honors given to high school seniors by the president. These finalists will be announced in early May.
After submitting their applications, each student went through a competitive review process by panels of distinguished artists representing each discipline. Those selected will receive a prize of $250 for showcasing extraordinary technique, a commitment to developing their craft and a remarkable sense of artistry.
Orange County School of the Arts student and bassoonist Ariana Kim was joined by 11 other local students in this special category. From Jan. 5 to Jan. 12, she attended National YoungArts Week in Miami, where competition finalists participated in interdisciplinary classes led by renowned artists like ballerina Misty Copeland and bestselling author Abigail Hing Wen. They received mentorship opportunities and shared their own work for potential cash awards of up to $10,000.
Following the intensive weeklong workshop, 12th-grader Ariana said getting to watch the amazing performances every night at National YoungArts Week “was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
“There was so much to learn from every single one of the artists around me, and from beginning to end, I learned something new every day,” said Ariana. “Even outside of the amazing artists in my own discipline, performing with the passion and strength, excitement, attention to detail, creativity and authenticity of the artists I watched across disciplines has inspired me so much in my growth as a classical musician.”
Throughout their careers, YoungArts winners with distinction will have opportunities to receive creative and professional development support along with grants and financial awards. Students interested in applying can learn more on the YoungArts Program site.
Here are the YoungArts winners representing Orange County:
YoungArts Winners with Distinction
Summer Brennan
Voice/Popular
Orange County School of the Arts
Carissa Hsu
Dance/Modern/Contemporary
Orange County School of the Arts
Ariana Kim
Classical Music/Bassoon
Orange County School of the Arts
Terry Kim
Design
Fairmont Preparatory Academy
Jennifer Kim
Design
Orange County School of the Arts
Olivia Le
Writing/Spoken Word
Orange County School of the Arts
Jasmine Lee
Dance/Hip Hop
Orange County School of the Arts
Victoria Pham
Film
Orange County School of the Arts
Nathan Song
Theater/Musical
Yorba Linda High School
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
Eiline Tai
Classical Music/Violoncello
California Online Public Schools, San Juan Capistrano
Avalina Thomas
Voice/Popular
El Dorado High School
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
Chloe Yang
Writing/Nonfiction
Orange County School of the Arts
YoungArts Winners
Isabella Both
Voice/Popular
Orange County School of the Arts
Nicole Chen
Design
St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
Minji Choi
Classical Music/Violin
Northwood High School
Irvine Unified School District
Samuel Chung
Jazz/Sax/Tenor
Orange County School of the Arts
Nicholas Doan
Jazz/Double Bass
Orange County School of the Arts
Jonathan Doh
Classical Music/Piano
Pacific Academy – Irvine Campus
Liam Geoffroy
Dance/Ballet
Huntington Beach High School
Huntington Beach Union High School District
Alice Huang
Film and Visual Arts
University High School
Irvine Unified School District
Jaden Kim
Classical Music/Violin
Orange County School of the Arts
Euri Kim
Writing/Fiction
Beckman High School
Tustin Unified School District
Isabella Le
Voice/Singer-Songwriter
Orange County School of the Arts
Jiyu Lee
Classical Music/Violin
Orange County School of the Arts
Rubi Lee
Classical Music/Violin
Pacific Academy – Irvine Campus
Lana Lee
Writing/Spoken Word
Orange County School of the Arts
Noelle Lidyoff
Voice/Singer-Songwriter
Fullerton Union High School
Fullerton Joint Union High School District
Amber Lin
Writing/Poetry
Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School
Michelle Lu
Dance/Ballet
Portola High School
Irvine Unified School District
Allie Molin
Jazz/Trumpet
Orange County School of the Arts
Yena Oh
Classical Music/Violin
Sunny Hills High School
Fullerton Joint Union High School District
Jaeyoon Park
Visual Arts
Crean Lutheran High School
Victoria Park
Writing/Nonfiction
Northwood High School
Irvine Unified School District
Arianna Ramirez
Dance/World Dance: Mexican Folkloric
Orange County School of the Arts
Joules Recana
Voice/Popular
Orange County School of the Arts
Viveka Saravanan
Voice/Classical
Orange County School of the Arts
Jadon Vo
Dance/Hip Hop
Orange County School of the Arts
Chloe Woo
Writing/Nonfiction
Orange County School of the Arts
Yunyang Xu
Visual Arts
Sage Hill School
Harmony Yan-Li
Film
Irvine High School
Irvine Unified School District
Kyle Yeung
Classical Music/Piano and Classical Music/Composition
Pacific Academy – Irvine Campus
Alisha Zhao
Film
Orange County School of the Arts
Did we miss any local students who were named 2025 YoungArts Winners? Let us know by emailing communications@ocde.us.