Kelly Jeong

Junior Kelly Jeong talks about pursuing her passions.

Photo courtesy of Kelly Jeong

Disha Kumar, Staff Writer

People are often told to do what they love, and for junior Kelly Jeong, living up to this maxim is a reality. From professional violin playing to masterful art-making, Jeong finds ways to channel her artistic zeal into day-to-day life. 

From a young age, Jeong has been an ardent violin player. Although she started off practicing solely because her mother told her to, she grew to love playing the instrument by being a part of various orchestras. 

“I think the sense of playing together and making orchestral music is much more amplified than playing by yourself and doing solo music,” Jeong said. “That’s what actually got me interested and got me to decide to actually continue violin throughout high school.”

This is Jeong’s 10th year playing the violin, and she started playing in the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra during her freshman year. Being part of this orchestra has allowed Jeong to connect with others who share her love for music. Furthermore, as an officer for Northview’s Chamber Music Society, Jeong spreads her passion towards music by performing for others at senior homes. 

Jeong’s artistry pervades several aspects of her life; for instance, in her spare time, she enjoys making hyper-realistic sketches and inscribes messages in her artwork to convey powerful themes about society. 

“I would do something about stress or the beauty standard,” Jeong said. “I think that provides more ways to spread messages, and it allows different art styles rather than just strictly trying to copy paste a picture.” 

Even in her academic classes, Jeong manages to showcase her artistic talents. She studies Latin and is the vice president of Junior Classical League, Northview’s Latin Club. Jeong was initially hesitant to take Latin. Spanish, which she had taken in middle school, was a more popular subject, and there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding who would teach the Latin course at Northview. However, after being convinced by her sister to take the course and hearing about the fun events associated with the Junior Classical League, Jeong decided to give it a try. 

“I realized that it was one of the best spontaneous decisions I’ve ever made, actually,” Jeong said. “Even though I am kind of reserved and have trouble starting conversations, the people in the Latin community are very fixated on trying to make new friends and connect people with Latin, so I think it was a very good decision.”

Somya Mittal, a senior and the president of Northview’s Junior Classical League, has watched Jeong place at state and national conventions and has seen Jeong excel in the study of the language and culture. Mittal especially recalls an experience from the 2019 National Convention, in which Jeong placed first. 

“She was always running off to practice violin and then she got into the talent show,” Mittal said.  “And then we all watched her perform at the talent show where she won first place which was really really exciting.”

One of Jeong’s most prominent involvements, however, is her unwavering commitment to Beta Club. She has been part of this community service organization since sixth grade, and she has attended the annual Beta convention held in Savannah, Georgia ever since seventh grade. 

“It is kind of a default part of my life,” Jeong said. “The Beta aspect of my life acts as a balance between the things I want to achieve for myself and the things I want to achieve for the community in general.”

Jeong has been an officer for Northview Beta since her freshman year and has consistently managed to amaze the audiences at conventions with her performances. In 2019, she and her partner competed in “Special Talent” where they performed a pop and classical medley on the violin. She was just a freshman at that time but ended up placing first in the state and later placed third at nationals. 

“So they are these little freshmen that got up there and wowed everybody with their performance,” Megan Hart-Sekman, Northview Beta’s sponsor, said. “What a great little lady. Love that girl.”

Hart-Sekman has been a part of Jeong’s journey ever since her freshman year. At this year’s convention, Jeong competed in the art division and placed first overall in the state. Even outside of her performances at conventions, Jeong looks for ways to better the Northview Beta community and help out her peers. 

“I think she’s very positive. She’s always willing to help out. She’s a very hard worker. And when you put all those together, she’s just the perfect package,” Hart-Sekman said. 

Many of Jeong’s high school involvements were influenced by her sister, who serves as an inspiration and role model to her. Her sister also used to be a member of Northview Beta and Northview’s Latin Club, and she has had a profound impact on the decisions Jeong has made regarding her high school career. Jeong strives to mirror her sister’s success while also differentiating herself from her sister and taking her own path. Aside from her academic and extracurricular involvements, Jeong has a dog whom she loves to go on walks with when taking breaks from studying. Although Jeong is unsure of what major or career she wants to pursue in the future, she would like to study STEM subjects. One thing is for certain though— regardless of whichever career path she chooses, Jeong will continue her artistic hobbies of drawing and playing the violin.