Ann Zhao was a four year Visual Arts major at Interlochen Arts Academy. She was born in Virginia but lived the first 12 years of her life in Shanghai, China. Ann primarily worked on large oil paintings during her time at the Academy. She will be attending Rhode Island School of Design.
Tianyang Gary Wang is a junior at Georgetown Preparatory school. He is from Beijing and currently resides in Maryland. He has a tremendous passion for filmmaking and photography/photojournalism. His documentary, Sway, competed as one of the finalists in the United For Peace Film Festival (UFPFF) in Tokyo in 2019. He shot and archived aerial photography footages for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) during a one-month archaeology excavation project conducted in Ali, Tibet. He is currently working on several portfolio projects exploring LGBTQ discrimination in China, censorship, and life under coronavirus quarantine. He aspires to give recognition to social issues in the world where many exhibit an indifferent attitude to them.
Celia Kornblum is a second-year junior visual arts major at Interlochen Arts Academy. She is from Seattle, Washington and draws inspiration from the ocean and marine environments where she grew up. Celia received an Honorable Mention for her ceramic piece in the 2019 Scholastic Awards, and this year she won five Gold Keys for four ceramic pieces and a jewelry piece, along with an honorable mention for a metal pendant.
Sandy Zhang is a sophomore at Choate Rosemary Hall. She is from Shanghai, China, and currently goes to school in Wallingford, Connecticut. She is very interested in arts, and especially photography. She focuses on humanistic and street photography.
Mohamed Elhassan is a junior at Hammond High School. He is from Sudan and currently resides in Maryland. His work mainly incorporates his strong views on animal rights, nature, and climate change in its subtle yet powerful visual metaphors. He received a regional Honorable Mention in the 2020 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. His pieces have won contests such as Celebrating Art (2019 & 2020), and have been shown in both local and regional exhibitions such as the Artists on the Rise: Juried Teen Exhibition at the Montpelier Arts Center (2020). In his free time, he likes to write, doodle, sing, and watch the hottest shows out right now. Next year he will be a senior and he will continue to work on both his artwork and his aspirations as a leader, graduating soon in 2021.
Celia Kornblum is a second-year junior visual arts major at Interlochen Arts Academy. She is from Seattle, Washington and draws inspiration from the ocean and marine environments where she grew up. Celia received an Honorable Mention for her ceramic piece in the 2019 Scholastic Awards, and this year she won five Gold Keys for four ceramic pieces and a jewelry piece, along with an honorable mention for a metal pendant.
Marina Qu is a junior from McLean High School in Northern Virginia. In addition to her passion for photography, she is the editor-in-chief of her school's magazine and has received journalism awards for news writing.