Seven Students Named as the 2025 Artists of the Year
- Heide Janssen
- Apr 27
- 7 min read
Orange County's Artist of the Year program has finally whittled down the 923 students nominated this year to the top seven arts students in the county in 2025. The Artists of the Year are:
DANCE
Piper Rovsek, Orange County School of the Arts: “Although dance never came easy, it called for me. Once I started, I knew it would live with me forever. I long to peel back each layer of myself to reveal the raw honesty and humanity that dance conveys. While darkness pours through the theater and light spills down my body, I aim to connect with each audience member and impart a message beyond words. To me, dance is a shared human experience where movement articulates emotion. This is how I was meant to live.”
FILM and TV
Noah Villanueva, Northwood High School: “Dad told me that Abuela’s mind was deteriorating with age. I understood. At the same time, I felt a bit angry. Abuela, who held me as a baby, watched me open birthday presents – did those memories no longer matter? … Everyone has a story to tell. It’s up to me whether I discard or cherish it. As a filmmaker, I can show that Abuela likes to go on long rants, to debate and poke fun at Dad and Uncle. As a filmmaker, I can show that some days it takes a second for her to recognize me. But as a filmmaker, I can show how everyday, she loves me. And that’s the story that matters most.”
FINE ARTS
Helen Zhang, Crean Lutheran High School: “Growing up hearing-impaired, I immersed myself in art to shape my understanding of sound, connection and identity. Navigating life with hearing in only one ear gave me a unique perspective, which I channel into my work. I explore resilience and vulnerability, using waves – both sound and ocean – to depict the feeling of being lost in a world of sound. I expanded my works from oil paintings and charcoal drawings into installations while broadening my work beyond the personal story. I now focus on amplifying unheard voices, symbolized by objects like shells as telephones, which capture and transmit marginalized voices.”
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Allie Molin, Orange County School of the Arts: “One of the most impactful musical experiences I’ve had was being a part of the 2024 Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo. This jazz ensemble, directed by professional bassist Katie Thiroux, selects six of the top female high school jazz musicians internationally to perform together at the Monterey Jazz Festival. This experience enabled me to perform with an all-female jazz group for the first time in my life, as well as exposing me to more music written by female composers, and getting to work with and learn from fellow women in jazz. I have often been the only woman in the jazz ensembles I’ve been a part of, so this experience was really eye-opening for me, and it has made me more passionate about highlighting the music and abilities of female musicians.”
MEDIA ARTS
Jennifer (Doyeon) Kim, Orange County School of the Arts: “To be an artist is to disrupt monologue for dialogue. As a product designer, I find the most joy when engaging in this step of the design process: collaborating and interviewing users to impartially identify a gap for a solution. I heavily emphasize centering perspectives through design, adopting the philosophy of designing not for them but with. To do this, I’ve learned, dialogue is needed for greater understanding and connection which further lends to embracing empathy and flexibility to deliver human centered design as an artist.”
Theater
Isabella Kim, Orange County School of the Arts: “It is never easy to intentionally make space and sometimes I fail to live it out in my own life, but the art of acting continues to encourage me to understand what it means to be human and to be compassionate. Everyone is different, everyone struggles with things no one else sees, and I can not even attempt to be a great artist if I do not approach everything with kindness, empathy, and an open heart. As creatives, we are privileged with the duty to portray all types of stories, and to honor each one, and to truly do it justice. This means that even in everyday life, you encounter people with love and understanding because you never know whose amazing story you will get to bring to life.”
Vocal Music
Madison Becerra, Orange County School of the Arts: “My ability to let everything out on stage and run an emotional marathon during each performance is my most valuable artistic habit, one that I continue to refine. I am hyper-aware of other people that can resonate with this feeling and use music as an outlet for their emotions. I strive to be a part of a space where singers can confide in their music and embrace those that are just as impassioned as I am, a safe haven. Using my talent and artistry to inspire other people to open their minds and hearts to new possibilities and perspectives on life is the greatest gift an artist can give.”
This year marks the 12th year of the program which seeks to highlight excellence in Orange County's arts education programs and to celebrate the top students each year working in the arts.
These students, who are nominated by their arts teachers, not only showcase their talent, but also share with judges what ideas they are exploring through their artforms, how they are trying to affect the community around them, how they are trying to grow and change by working in their artform, and what makes them passionate about what they do. “It’s not a competition with scores and all of that,” said vocal music judge Scott Hedgecock, a retired high school music instructor who now teaches voice and mentors student teachers at Cal State Long Beach. “It’s more of a big picture.”
During the in-person interviews with the semifinalists, the judges not only see the students' work, but also have the opportunity to talk with all of them and often come away renewed with new enthusiasm for their own work. “I go home every year and I’m so inspired by these students,” said dance judge Boróka Nagy, a director of The Academy of Dance in Orange County and CEO of Reborn Arts nonprofit organization. “They have this life force behind them.”
Full profiles on each of these Artists of the Year can be found in the stories published today at The Orange County Register. The May 7 awards ceremony is at 5:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall on the campus of Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange. For more information on attendance and parking, go to ocregister.com/artistoftheyear.
THE FINALISTS
Along with the top seven students, an additional 29 students have been named as finalists – four in six of the disciplines, and five in Film and TV. They are:
DANCE
Dance finalists, from left, Rio Gomez, Fullerton Union High School (Photo courtesy of Vince Truspin), Dani Lopez, Costa Mesa High School (Photo courtesy of Dani Lopez), Alyssa Park, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of JoLee Chou), Bella Rose Silva, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Vince Truspin)
FILM and TV
Film and TV finalists, from left:
Aracely Aispuro Morales, Buena Park High School (Photo courtesy of Sophia Ortega)
Nelan Castillo, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Timothy Okajima)
Bendicio Gonzalez, Fairmont Prepartory Academy (Photo courtesy of Valentino Kitchen),
Kyle Hero Kim, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Ethan Chu)
Kyan T. Whiten, Orange County School of the Arts(Photo courtesy of Luke Sanchez)
FINE ARTS
Fine arts finalists, from left:
Ximina Lopez-Hernandez, Valencia High School (Photo courtesy of Ximena Lopez-Hernandez)
Sophia Tang Nagel, University High School (Photo courtesy of Connie Tang)
Claire Jaeyoon Park, Crean Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Junghwa Hong)
Mary Jane Pfaff, Orange Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Mary Jane Pfaff)
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Instrumental music finalist, from left:
Amicus Carrasco, Portola High School (Photo courtesy of Heidi Carrasco)
Jackson Olsen, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Kevin Homma)
David Wong, Private Instructor Kathy Oh (Photo courtesy of Chiko Wong)
Kyle Yeung, Pacific Academy (Photo courtesy of Olivia Wong)
MEDIA ARTS
Media arts finalists, from left:
Shiloh Ahrens, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Zoe Ahrens)
Ash Chiou, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Audrey Chiou)
Jasmine Diep, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Anneliese Diep)
Keven Morales, Buena Park High School (Photo courtesy of Keven Morales)
Theater
Theater finalists, from left:
Addison Engelken, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Hailey Curtis)
Ashley Nava, Fullerton Union High School (Photo courtesy of Arlene Nava)
Eden Joye Newcott, Newport Harbor High School (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Boocks)
Oliver Tomczak, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Oliver Tomczak)
Vocal Music
Vocal music finalists, from left:
Lal Besir, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Aydin Tuna)
Nadia Jaramillo, Santa Ana High School (Photo courtesy of Ceclilia De La Riva)
Lavinia Lotus Watkins, Milena Kitic Vocal Studio (Photo courtesy of Kelsey Ulmer)
Jaden Yoo, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Timothy Okajima)
This program is sponsored by The Orange County Register, Chapman University College of Performing Arts and Segerstrom Center for the Arts, with additional support provided by Arts Orange County and individual donors.
If you would like to support Artist of the Year with a donation, you can contribute here.
