Student of the Month: Lina Hisada

Lina Hisada, a senior violinist in String Orchestra, is our first ever Student of the Month! Although she joined orchestra just last year, Lina has been an accomplished musician for much of her life. She started her musical journey with piano lessons 13 years ago, which has since become one of her life passions. She told us in an interview that she was initially nervous coming into orchestra as a junior but was met with a warm welcome from the community of students and teachers.

Q: What does orchestra mean to you?

A: Orchestra holds a special place in my whole high school experience so far. Joining the orchestra family as a Junior, I was welcomed into a warm atmosphere by caring teachers and students as I was nervous about joining! ... This class means so much to me as I think that it was my biggest platform where I was able to grow as a person and an artist and meet talented friends.

Although this is only her second year in the orchestra program, Lina has been above and beyond with her musical playing and collaboration with fellow students. As Concertmistress of String Orchestra, she has found numerous ways to stay engaged with her violin section despite the difficulties of online rehearsals. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed, as many of her peers submitted Student of the Month nominations, mentioning Lina's outstanding leadership and hard work during sectionals. According to one student, “Lina devotes excessive amounts of effort for our orchestra and our section. She always gives positive and constructive feedback”. The orchestra directors, who made the final decision, mentioned similar qualities. “Lina is extremely hard working, kind, and easily communicates with her peers,” said Mrs. Amanda Svetich, who is the Choir Director and Assistant Orchestra Director. “She practices diligently, thinks about how best she can help her section learn their music, and exudes a great passion for music.”

[She auditioned into Concert Orchestra this year but had a schedule conflict. Dedicated to orchestra, she joined String Orchestra anyway and would have been happy to just be a part of the class without a leadership role. However, when asked to step up to become a leader, she willingly accepted and has been a friendly, kind, and hardworking Concertmaster.] - Ms. Pin Chen, Orchestra director

Since the beginning of virtual learning, Lina has also been helping Chanteurs with their recorded performances by playing the piano accompaniment, an opportunity she credits to Mrs. Svetich. Aside from school and orchestra, Lina also enjoys learning the abacus, reading Japanese novels, and cooking, especially Indian Cuisine. But like many other soon to be graduates, she has spent much of the first semester time preparing for college.

[Being a senior applying to college as a piano performance major, I would tell my younger self to practice harder and to have more confidence in myself…. There were times when people would put me down when I talked about my passions, but I also realized that there were lots of people who believed in me! I would say that no matter what people tell you, it is important to take pride in what you love and be kind to people who are kind to you.] - Lina

Thank you to Lina for taking part in this interview with us, and congratulations on being the first Student of the Month! We wish you all the best in your future!