Meet the Students

As a video artist, musician, photographer, editor, and community service volunteer, Amanda would rightly be called a multitasker. But she takes it all in stride. “Despite my busy schedule,” she says, “I find working long hours … challenging and rewarding.”

An accomplished violinist at a young age-she was a member of the New Jersey Youth Symphony for six years-she continued her passion at Andover, where she plays in several classical-musical groups. She's passed on her love of music to children from nearby Lawrence by teaching them violin through her community service project-the Andover-Lawrence Strings Program. A musical trip to Italy in summer 2007, when she sang with the Cantata Choir, inspired her to take AP art history.

“The Addison Gallery, extensive photo labs and darkrooms, and high-tech video-editing equipment are among the great resources my hometown high school didn't offer,” Amanda admits. In the visual arts, filmmaking is her strongest suit, then comes photography. One of her videos was selected for the Future Filmmaker Showcase at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and a photograph was chosen to be exhibited at a Drexel University Photography competition.

Arts editor of the literary magazine the Courant and photographer for the school newspaper the Phillipian, Amanda says she has learned valuable lessons from her “amazing” teachers. Most important: “I have gained the confidence to take more creative risks.”