Join us in congratulating Chloe Cho (Pilgrim School, Los Angeles, CA) & Lucy Yue (Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA)!
The aim of the Harvardwood Prize is to recognize and celebrate the artistic accomplishments and potential of high school students who exemplify our mission. Given Harvard University's robust arts communities and arts education opportunities, the Prize is meant to encourage high school students to apply to Harvard College. It is awarded annually to a high school junior (rising senior) who will apply for admission to Harvard in the upcoming fall and who has demonstrated excellence in their dedication to the arts, media, and entertainment and its power to enact positive social change.
Chloe Cho (Pilgrim School, Los Angeles, CA) | Born and raised in California, I grew up in a predominantly artistic family--with fashion designers, architects, toy designers, ballet dancers, and bakers. At the early age of three, my mother enrolled me in ballet lessons, telling me stories of how I danced while drinking from a baby bottle. By the age of six, I was attending the Kim Eung Hwa Korean Dance Academy, where I studied the art and music of Korean history. I learned traditional folk dances and performed at various events--in which I have received several President’s Volunteer Service Awards and Medals, as well as certificates recognized by the Korea Times Los Angeles.
My appetite for exploring different forms of creative expression began as I watched my sister pursue her creativity and imagination through drawing and painting. I was immediately inclined to uncover this realm of sorcery, participating in ceramics and pottery lessons and attempting traditional mediums of art: watercolors, acrylic paints, and oil pastels. Eventually, my portfolio started shifting to photography, digital art, and 3D models. Throughout my course, I have been selected as the Top 10 in the Kidizenship American Flag contest, accepted for publication--in the Celebrating Art Summer 2020 contest, LA County Library Brand New Day exhibit, and LA County Library Safer At Home exhibit--and nominated as a finalist in the LA County Library Bookmark Contest.
Entering junior high, my dance teacher presented an opportunity to take dance to a competitive level, gathering teammates to form the pom dance team, perform at school fundraising events and annual dance shows, and compete in national competitions—even joining our first virtual meet this past April. Meanwhile, given the opportunity to pursue the arts at a greater level, I was determined to pursue a career in design and psychology, in which I had found a great appreciation for architecture. I was incentivized by the interplay between structures and psychological settings, as well as how architects could positively respond to current global issues, in light of today’s unpredictable climate.
I have always found my sanctuary through art, allowing me to vividly contextualize universal opinions and ideas in the minds of individuals that cease to exist in reality. Therefore, I intend to incorporate my knowledge and observations of the human psyche into my own artistic endeavors--through traditional and performance art--and understand how art could unravel the battles that humanity endures and propose innovative perspectives.
Lucy Yue (Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA) | Lucy is an acclaimed artist and hard-working academic, who started experimenting with the brush at the age of 3. Now a junior at Valley Christian High School, Lucy takes part not only in leading activities to promote Asian heritage and culture but also in the most rigorous classes Valley Christian has to offer.
Lucy integrates visual arts into the Valley Christian community through her involvement in the founding of the Asian Arts Club, as well as the National Art Honor Society and as a member of the Applied Data Science Program. With connections to STEM and art, Lucy intertwines the two worlds via design and application with technology.
As an artist, Lucy enjoys working with all mediums ranging from watercolor to oil painting and charcoal. Her artworks, accumulating over 6 Gold Key awards, 4 Silver Key awards, and 1 Honorable Mention award from the Scholastic Art Awards demonstrate her excellence in the artistic field. Lucy was also a 2020 National Gold Medalist of the Scholastic Art Awards, gaining the opportunity to exhibit her work at Carnegie Hall and at the Pacific Grove Art Center. Lucy displays her roots as an Asian American by practicing traditional Chinese brush painting and calligraphy. Her outstanding skills are acknowledged with national level awards from the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts.
Additionally, Lucy is passionate about social issues extending from financial inequality to gender inequality. Her artwork titled “Who’re you?”, focusing on the treatment and perception of women in modern society, was exhibited at the New Museum Los Gatos and selected as number one in the category of printmaking for the ArtNow juried exhibition in 2019. A key member in her community, Lucy helps people of all ages by spreading love for art and learning. Lucy is a volunteer art teacher for students at her local public elementary school and also a part-time tutor at Kumon Math and Reading Center. She also delivers handmade cards to the elderly, easing their loneliness exacerbated by COVID-19. Furthermore, Lucy contributes to the art community here in the Bay Area and Taiwan by being one of the directors of the Youth Art Foundation, uplifting artists in her domestic community while fundraising internationally to provide art supplies for children in Taiwan.