Chaewon Kim

Hello, I am Chaewon Kim, a Korean American in Los Angeles. I am currently a rising sophomore at North Hollywood High School. Music has always been a huge part of my life, as I have played the violin for eight years. I have participated in school orchestras since elementary school and in various external organizations, including my church’s youth orchestra and the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. Despite my interest in music, there was a time during my slump when I contemplated stopping my musical pursuits. I was stumped for several years, barely touching my violin throughout the week. 

To be honest, I first started participating in the New Hope Echoes concert because my parents forced me. I did not want to perform for a small audience or anybody. The only reason I kept playing the violin was because of my parent’s adamant denial of quitting. I started volunteering as a youth teacher through the Los Angeles Korean Youth Orchestra, teaching elementary children how to play the violin. Surprisingly, I found great joy in interacting with young children and helping them start their musical journey. Just by attending meetings every week and mentoring them for a few hours, I was making my years of practicing violin worth something. I quickly realized the same applied to the New Hope Echoes concerts. Despite my professionalism, my short performances helped bring changes to real-life problems. I was actively hands-on in changing the world simply by sharing my musical interests. This realization motivated me to join and engage in the concerts as a student leader. 

My greatest goal through this leadership position is to expand the reach of this program to others. Really, anyone of any age who is willing to value their daily hobbies can participate as a performer. However, I would especially like to spread this concert to those who have contemplated abandoning their hobbies or talents, like myself. I hope this concert can become their reason for perseverance and patience. I also think building a tight-knit community among participants is important, fostering a supportive environment that underscores the positive work we are accomplishing. I believe it is crucial to unite everyone and emphasize that our collective efforts as a group can bring more significant changes, especially because our current group is quite small. A supportive and inclusive environment allows us to learn from one another and leverage our strengths to overcome challenges, hopefully contributing to the long run of this program. I hope this program will grow and strive to make even larger positive contributions to the world and show children and teenagers what changes we can make as a group.