11 students at the school were acknowledged in the National YoungArts Foundation’s annual competition out of 11,000 students nationwide. The YoungArts competition is open to students aged 15-18 or in grades 10-12 participating in performing, visual or literary arts disciplines. The competition recognized nearly 800 students nationwide and rewarded winners $250 each.
The 2024-2025 YoungArts winners were Charlotte Appel ’25 in Voice; Charlotte Im ’27 and Presentations Managing Editor William Liu ’25 in Classical Music; Alexa Liu ’25 in Visual Arts; Manos Vourgourakis ’25 in Jazz and Samaya Sayana-Manchanda ’26, Maya Stillwell ’26, Francesca Varese-Riggen ’26, Laila Vasandani ’26, Hannah Shin ’27 and Sophia Wong ’27 in Photography.
The YoungArts competition consists of a board of artists and includes multiple rounds of review and adjudication for all submissions. Winners with Distinction are invited to participate in a weeklong program, working with notable artists in their respective fields. They are eligible to receive rewards up to $10,000 and be nominated for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
Upper School Visual Arts Teacher Alexandra Pacheco- Garcia said she was proud to have her photography students gain recognition by sharing personal stories through their art.
“It felt awesome [to win],” Pacheco- Garcia said. “This is the first time I’ve had this many students being recognized at the same time on a national level. Not only are there six young women, but they’re six young women of color, many of whom are making stories about their identity, their family histories and who they are as people. That’s really a powerful thing that art can do, especially in these very fraught, conflicted times where finding humanity in one another is invaluable. All of these women had worked so hard and were such deserving candidates with strong work.”
Pacheco-Garcia said preparing a student’s submission can be difficult as it requires them to express themselves genuinely, especially if they are starting from the beginning.
“One of the challenges for a few students was creating all of the materials and starting from scratch,” Pacheco-Garcia said. “Figuring out their direction, what story or series they wanted to work with, and then how best to reflect their ideas and choosing work that is best suited and to represent their ideas was difficult. In addition, they had to include a written artist statement. In general, that is always a challenge for my students, because it’s one thing to express yourself visually, and all of them have that strength, but then it’s another to do that in writing, when speaking about your themes, interests and what you’re trying to say with your work.”
Sayana-Manchanda, who also won in the 2023-2024 YoungArts competition in Photography, said she added on to her project, “Generational Women,” a portfolio depicting the emotional disconnect between her mother and grandmother’s relationship shaped by traditional Indian culture, after learning how to put herself more into her photos and making it more intimate.
“Since last year’s win, I’ve grown as an artist by incorporating myself into my updated series, ‘Generational Women’, which I didn’t have in its earlier version,” Sayana-Manchanda said. “Adding myself to the images was challenging in its technicality and trying to be vulnerable by becoming both subject and observer. However, by doing so, it allowed me to explore my role within these generational relationships more personally as seen in the images.”
Sayana-Manchanda said she wanted to capture the intimacy of connection in her photography portfolio by using monochrome colors in her project.
“Inspired by their resilience and the lack of recognition they often receive, I began incorporating myself into the images to examine my role in our dynamic,” Sayana-Manchanda said. “Using black-and-white photography, I focus on the tension between connection and detachment, creating a window into relationships that feel both intimate and distant.”
Pacheco-Garcia said she enjoys curating a submission with a student because it allows them to refine their work and share who they are as a person.
“I love the process of creating a portfolio and a statement,” Pacheco- Garcia said. “I love it when students get to see their work in the best form possible and see the strength in it. I love the opportunity of working one- on- one [with a student] because although we talk about work and are building a series, it’s also a chance to connect with them as individuals and have a more personal connection.”
Four students were recognized in the YoungArts performing arts discipline. Appel’s project included several adaptations of songs of her choice. She said the submission was influenced by her previous experiences and connection with music.
“My submission for the Popular Voice category included three videos of me singing songs that I selected,” Appel said. “I made my own arrangements of pop songs from different eras of music. Pop music has always inspired me because, throughout history, the genre has taken many forms, impacting me during many pivotal parts of my life.”
Appel said YoungArts provided her the chance to share her interest in music and propel her as an artist.
“As an artist, being able to express myself with music as my outlet is a very important part of my everyday life,” Appel said. “The YoungArts competition has helped me grow because this was a time when I pushed myself the hardest to achieve an artistic goal. It felt extremely rewarding to be recognized for my hard work.”
Vourgourakis, who plays the double bass, won in the jazz category with a video submission of four different jazz melodies. He said his dedication to his project was worthwhile, and that he is is thankful for the encouragement he has received from the school community.
“The hardest part was reviewing the more than 100 videos I’d taken,” Vourgourakis said. “Winning YoungArts was a gratifying experience for me. Artistically, I am honored to be recognized for all the time and effort I put into jazz, and I am grateful not just for this recognition, but especially for all of the incredible people supporting me at Harvard-Westlake.”
Vourgourakis said he appreciates the acknowledgment and is gratified for the opportunity to continue his pursuit in music.
“I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to connect with a vast network of other young, enthusiastic and equally passionate artists,” Vourgourakis said. “Being part of such an inspiring community will continue to push me to grow musically and pursue my dreams.”
