About
River An
Peddie School 27’
CREATIVE WRITING
& PUBLICATIONS
& PUBLICATIONS
Amphion Literary and Art Magazine — Editor-in-Chief, 2026–Present
Editorial leadership for Peddie’s century-old student-run literary and art magazine; curates 100+ annual submissions and mentors student contributors.
Creative Writing Signature Program — Selected Participant, 2025–2027
Two-year program in poetry, fiction, and graphic narrative; lead visual artist for a collaborative graphic narrative project.
Iowa Young Writers’ Studio — Selected Participant, Summer 2025
Two-week residential creative writing program in fiction and poetry.
Think of the Sea — Korean–English Screenplay Translator
Translated a short-film screenplay for international film festival submissions.
RESEARCH & LAW
Juvenile Miranda Rights Study — Independent Researcher, 2025–Present
Designed an IRB-approved study of 307 adolescents examining comprehension of Miranda warnings; authored a 20-page research paper and is developing a documentary based on the research.
New Jersey Student Ethics Conference — Presenter, 2025
Presented “Why Do Miranda Rights Fail to Protect Young People?” on false confessions, language barriers, and legal reform.
Columbia High School Law Institute — Participant, 2025–2026
Studied criminal procedure and constitutional law through Columbia Law School’s high school program.
LEADERSHIP & COMMUNITY
Student DEI Leadership Council — Co-Leader, 2025–Present
Organizes student programming and dialogue; designed and led a DEI Day workshop connecting the Heart Sutra and Five Skandhas with contemporary inclusion.
Arts Citizenship Committee — Elected Representative, 2024–Present
Represents theatre students in school arts planning and student-faculty dialogue.
Hartley’s Legacy — Co-President, 2025–Present
Organizes student performers for twice-monthly performances at Princeton CIEL Senior Center; launched an oral-history project documenting residents’ songs and life stories.
VISUAL ART
Independent Studio Art Portfolio — 2024–Present
Developing a 12–15 piece portfolio exploring storytelling and memory through digital and traditional media.
ULTRAVIOLET at BRIC House Gallery — Selected Artist, 2026
Selected for a juried youth contemporary art exhibition in Brooklyn.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Gold Key — Poetry; Silver Key — Mixed Media; Honorable Mentions in visual art and writing.
PERFORMING ARTS
Musical Theatre — Peddie School, 2023–Present
Gloria Thorpe, Damn Yankees; Fiona, Shrek the Musical; ensemble in The Prom and Mamma Mia!; Assistant Stage Manager and onstage band singer in Romeo and Juliet.
Vocal Performance — Peddie School, 2023–Present
Lead Vocalist, Blair Day Band; soprano soloist for chapel services, alumni memorials, and school ceremonies; member of Peddie Singers and Treblemakers.
Private Voice & Acting Training
Voice study with David Gordon, Manhattan School of Music; acting and vocal coaching with Broadway performers Marina Kondo and Michelle Beck; New York Film Academy musical theatre intensive.
ATHLETICS
Varsity Girls Golf — Peddie School, Grades 9–10
Two-year varsity team member; 2025 Mid-Atlantic Prep League team champion.
HONORS & RECOGNITION
National Merit Commended Scholar, 2026
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards — Gold Key(Poetry, 2026), Silver Key & Honorable Mentions (Mixed Medea, Painting, 2024-2025)
CS Music Vocal Competition — National Live Second Round, Musical Theatre & Classical Voice, 2026
Peddie Declamation Contest — 2nd Place, 2026; Honorable Mention, 2024 & 2025
I approach each character not as someone to imitate, but as someone to understand. I study the rhythm of their language, their silences, their contradictions. I believe acting isn’t about becoming someone else—it’s about expanding into parts of yourself you’ve never had permission to access.
I train for precision, but I perform for truth.
On stage, I listen as much as I speak. My goal is not to impress but to connect—quietly, honestly, and with intention.
I study each piece—its phrasing, breath, and structure—before I perform it. I care about tone, articulation, and control, but also about how the music lives and breathes in the moment. My voice isn’t just a tool for expression; it’s a way of listening, shaping, and connecting.
On stage, I aim for clarity, not perfection. I want each sound to mean something—to carry both discipline and feeling. Singing allows me to reveal what can’t always be said, with honesty and precision.
I work across mediums—drawing, painting, digital composition—but what stays constant is my interest in memory, emotion, and the spaces in between. I’m drawn to textures, rhythms, and quiet tension. My creative process often begins with discomfort, but it’s through that uncertainty that form begins to emerge.
Art is how I make sense of what I can’t explain directly.
I don’t aim for perfection; I aim for presence.
Each piece is a way of listening—visually, emotionally, and structurally.
I’m drawn to the parts of experience that resist simple language—grief, silence, contradiction. Writing helps me stay with those things without needing to solve them. I care about voice, rhythm, and the weight of each word. I write slowly, listening as I go.
I don’t see writing as a way to declare what I know, but as a space to find out what I feel. My goal isn’t clarity for its own sake—it’s resonance. I want the reader to pause, not just understand.
For me, writing isn’t about closure. It’s about staying open.
© RIVER AN 2025