About
River An



Peddie School 27’


As a singer, actress, writer, and visual artist, 
Musical Theatre
Vocal Performance  
- Performer

SEPTEMBER 2023 – PRESENT

  • Lead roles: Fiona (Shrek) and Gloria Thorpe (Damn Yankees) in school production

  • Chapel and memorial soloist; core member of Peddie Singers (10th, 11th) and Treblemakers (9th) with repertoire in jazz and musical theatre.

  • Lead vocalist for Blair Day band (2024, 2025), performing before the full school community.

  • Upcoming (Feb 2026): Ensemble member in Peddie’s winter musical Mamma Mia, expanding musical theatre experience.
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; carrying this work into college leadership and academics.

Visual Storytelling 
Amphion 
Literary Art Magazine 
- Artist and Editor

SEPTEMBER 2023 – PRESENT

  • Independent study in visual art; Scholastic submissions recognized (Silver Key).

  • Amphion 2024 cover artist, layout editor; curating work and mentor contributors.

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

Peddie Arts Citizenship Committee
– Theater Representative

 2024 – Present
  • Represent the theatre community in school-wide arts planning, advocating for student perspectives in arts programming.

  • Connect theatre with civic dialogue by framing performance as a space for empathy, identity, and social responsibility.

  • Collaborate with faculty and student leaders to promote inclusive, accessible, and community-centered arts initiatives.
Peddie Creative Writing 
Signature Program 
- Participant

SEPTEMBER 2025 – MAY 2027

  • Selected for a two-year, discussion-driven signature program focused on sustained study of literary works across historical periods and the production of original creative writing.

  • Create and revise original poetry, genre fiction, and graphic narrative through regular workshop critique with peers and faculty..

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

Law & Psychology Research on Juvenile Vulnerability 
– Researcher

JULY 2025 – NOVEMBER 2025

  • Completed original research study (N=307) examining adolescent comprehension of Miranda rights and linguistic vulnerability in the justice system under mentorship of a clinical psychologist.

  • Conducted statistical analysis on age, confidence, and familiarity effects; manuscript submitted to The Whitman Journal of Psychology and National High School Journal of Science.

  • Presented findings at NJ Student Ethics Conference (November 2025): "Why Do Miranda Rights Fail to Protect Young People?"
Columbia University High School Law Institute (HSLI)
– Student Scholar

Fall 2025 – Spring 2026

  • Selected for a competitive law program at Columbia Law School to deepen practice-based understanding of juvenile justice.

  • Participate in weekly case-based seminars on criminal procedure and constitutional law led by Columbia Law students.

  • Connect independent research on juvenile vulnerability to real-world legal decision-making through lectures and case discussions.
Hartley's Legacy at Princeton CIEL Senior Center 
– Founder & Volunteer
Spring 2025 – Present

  • Founded intergenerational music project collecting seniors' most meaningful songs and life stories through performance, conversation, and collaborative singing.

  • Shifted from performer to listener and documentarian; archiving elders' memories through interviews, illustrations, and voice recordings.

  • Developing sustained community service initiative in coordination with Peddie School's DEI programs to amplify underheard voices.
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.


PRESENTATIONS & PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP

November 22, 2025
  • New Jersey Student Ethics Conference (NJSEC 2025) - Presenter

  • Selected as school representative to present original research: “Why Do Miranda Rights Fail to Protect Young People?”

  • Delivered analysis on false confessions, linguistic barriers, and legal reform proposals.
Honors

  • Peddie Declamation Contest – Second Place(2026), Honorable Mention(2024, 2025)

  • Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - Silver Key (2024, Painting), Honorable Mention (2025, Painting, Mixed Media)

  • Amphion Literary & Art Magazine – Selected Cover Artist (2024)

  • Peddie Talent Show – 2nd Place (2024, Vocal Performance)

  • MAPL Golf Championship – 1st Place Team (2025)

Languages

  • Korean (mother tongue, native fluency)

  • English (second language, native fluency)






Art Work

Painting | Mixed Media | Digital
 

Birth of Passion


Participated in the 2024 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards





As An Artist

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.

Participated in the 2025 Ocean Awareness Contest








Untitled(Ocean2)

"Trash that looks like fish."

We’ve seen the statistics. We carry tote bags that say “Save the Ocean.” And yet, we continue to feel distant from the crisis—like it’s happening somewhere else.

This piece is about collapsing that distance. By turning discarded plastics into fish-like hybrids, I wanted viewers to experience the discomfort of seeing the natural world distorted into something disturbingly familiar. The ocean is not a separate world; it’s a mirror of our choices.

I used colored pencil for precision and soft pastels for atmosphere, blending control with uncertainty. The result is a world where trash and marine life blur into one—just as human behavior and ecological loss have become inseparable.

Pieces of Becoming


Participated in the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards


For Dear Life


Participated in the 2025 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards




Children are born with their own individuality, unique strengths, and different dreams. Yet, at some point, they are swept into the expectation of excelling academically and striving toward the same standardized goals. This cycle often culminates in adulthood, where many find themselves sitting at identical cubicles, divided in corporate offices, completing menial tasks, regardless of their unique talents or individuality.

As a 10th-grade student observing this phenomenon, I am struck by the relentless pressure placed on students to pursue academic success at the expense of their individuality. Through my art, I aimed to capture not only this struggle but also the resilience against it—students cling onto success, apprehensive about the future, but they also refuse to fall. The drawing symbolizes the precarious balance between individuality and the collective pursuit of uniformity, illustrating the tension and perseverance it takes to navigate a system that prioritizes conformity over personal dreams and identity.
Amphion Literary & Art Magazine – Selected Cover Artist (2024)


© RIVER AN 2025