About
River An



Peddie School 27’


As a singer, actress, writer, and visual artist, I pursue presence, precision, and emotional truth. I study structure—a song, scene, image, or sentence—and then let instinct shape the rest. I listen for what’s unsaid and try to connect quietly and with care.
Musical Theatre
Vocal Performance  
- Performer

SEPTEMBER 2023 – PRESENT

  • Lead roles: Fiona (*Shrek*), Gloria Thorpe (*Damn Yankees*); selected as lead vocalist for school events and Blair Day band.

  • Chapel/memorial soloist; Peddie Singers (10th), Treblemakers (9th); repertoire across jazz and musical theatre.

  • Actor’s Studio & private voice: control, nuance, emotional expression; performance as practice in empathy and presence.

  • Learned to prioritize connection and joy on stage; will continue voice study and pursue musical theatre in college.

Visual Storytelling 
Amphion 
Literary Art Magazine 
- Artist and Editor

SEPTEMBER 2022 – PRESENT

  • Independent study in anatomy & color; Scholastic submissions recognized (Silver Key).

  • Amphion 2024 cover artist → layout editor; curate work and mentor contributors.

  • Process: rigorous observation, iteration, and design—structure gives expression room to expand.

  • Plan to lead Amphion and apply visual–narrative strategies to independent work and critique in college.

Peddie Student DEI 
Leadership Council 
- SDEI Leader

MAY 2025 – MAY 2027

  • Liaison between DEI office and students; collaborate with affinity groups; lead community workshops.

  • Focus: moving from awareness to respectful dialogue; amplifying underheard voices.

  • Core skill: listening and facilitating to reach compassionate solutions; carry this work into college leadership and academics.


Peddie Arts Citizenship Committee
– Theater Representative

 2024 – Present

  • Represent theatre in arts programming; link performance with civic dialogue around identity, inclusion, and responsibility.

Peddie Creative Writing 
Signature Program 
- Participant

SEPTEMBER 2025 – MAY 2027

  • Two-year seminar: deep reading across literary history, research-informed original writing.

  • Junior-summer in-person program (2026); final portfolio and public capstone reading.

  • Goal: strengthen language for eloquence and efficacy across creative and academic work.

Law & Psychology Research on Juvenile Vulnerability 
– Researcher

JULY 2025 – NOVEMBER 2025


  • Completed 20-page paper: How are linguistically underdeveloped or impaired juveniles disproportionately at risk for mistreatment in the juvenile justice system?
  • Integrates psychology & law: language vulnerabilities, trauma, development × interrogation tactics and courtroom dynamics.
  • Manuscript complete; currently preparing submission to NHSJS and AJSR.
Columbia University High School Law Institute (HSLI) 
– Student Scholar

Fall 2025 – Spring 2026

  • Accepted and will join in Fall 2025; year-long courses in Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Moot Court, Saturday seminar.

  • Weekly 3-hour sessions: lectures, case readings, discussions, briefs/oral arguments—complements my juvenile-justice research.

Princeton CIEL Senior Center
Intergenerational Musical Volunteer

MARCH 2025 – PRESENT

  • Bi-monthly performances and visits; music as a bridge for memory and conversation.

  • Shifted from performing to listening; moments of healing informed my archival project of elders’ stories.

Independent Project
- Founder/Artist/Interviewer

JUNE 2025 – PRESENT

  • Interview, illustration, writing, and voice recordings to archive elders’ memories and perspectives.

  • Purpose: give voice to underheard stories; long-term aim aligned with advocacy for representation.

Peddie Varsity 
Girls Golf - Athlete

SEPTEMBER 2023 – PRESENT

  • Varsity team member; MAPL team champion (2025).

  • Built resilience, patience, and team mindset; value humor and cohesion alongside technical skill.

Languages

  • Korean (mother tongue, native fluency)

  • English (second language, native fluency)








Singing

Art Song | Jazz | Broadway | Pop
As a Singer
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.
Blair Day Chapel, 2025



Lead Singer
Blair Day is one of Peddie’s oldest and most spirited traditions, celebrating the long-standing rivalry between Peddie School and Blair Academy through a day of athletics, music, and community pride. As part of the Blair Day Chapel, a school-wide event that opens the festivities with music and reflection, I was selected as the lead vocalist for the student band representing Peddie. Performing in front of the entire school community on such a significant day was both humbling and empowering. The performance brought together my vocal training, stage experience, and sense of school spirit into one of the most memorable moments of my time at Peddie.



NYJA Summer Jazz Intensives 
(2025, Smash Studios, NYC)

Performed as a vocalist in the culminating student concert of the New York Jazz Academy Summer Jazz Intensives, held at Smash Studios in Manhattan. Collaborated with peers and faculty musicians.






Every year, Peddie produces a music video to welcome new students and share the spirit of the school. In 2024, I was selected as one of the lead vocalists for our cover of “Defying Gravity.”

Working with fellow student musicians and a professional production team, I helped bring the story to life through song. The final video became part of Peddie’s official admissions campaign—an honor that let me represent my school with both voice and heart.
Peddie Concert, 2024




 Peddie Concert, 2023-2025
Since entering Peddie as a freshman, I have been selected to represent the school as a vocalist through Treblemakers and Peddie Singers—two of Peddie’s most selective choral ensembles. These groups have allowed me to take part in the school’s major musical events, including the Fall, Winter, and Spring Concerts held in Ding Music Hall, as well as chapel performances and admissions events. As a consistent performer in these spaces, I’ve come to understand music not only as personal expression, but as a way of building shared experience. Each concert deepened my understanding of ensemble work, discipline, and how collective voices can carry meaning beyond what a solo ever could.

Hartley’s Legacy at Ciel of Princeton, 2025





 Music Volunteer, 2025 -  ongoing
As a Hartley Legacy Member, I serve as a music volunteer at the Princeton CIEL Senior Center, where I perform regularly for senior residents. What began as an effort to uplift others through music quickly became a deeply reciprocal experience. Songs would often spark memories, and those memories would turn into stories. I learned to listen beyond the lyrics, to recognize that music can open doors to reflection, grief, and joy—especially across generations. Volunteering in this space reaffirmed for me that performance can be more than art; it can be a form of shared healing.

More Video




© RIVER AN 2025