Freshman dancer Katelyn Chin gracefully pliéd into the nomination as Artist of the Month for November, also recognized by Portola News Network.

“We [Fine Arts Commissioners] chose to establish Artist of the Month this year because students who contribute to our VAPA department should be recognized for their ability to spread the arts throughout our community,” fine arts commissioner and sophomore Nicholas Hung said.

Dance teacher Samantha Gardner nominated Chin due to her ability to shine apart from other dancers in the classroom.

“I just noticed that day after day Katelyn was really dedicating herself to dance. She was always giving 110% whether it was during class or after school. She was always putting her full self into her art,” Gardner said.

While Gardner and other members of the dance team have noted that Chin often keeps to herself, this is viewed as a representation of Chin’s drive to work hard and focus on the repertoire that she is tackling.

“I always see [Chin] working hard to improve her techniques while enjoying herself and having fun in the class,” sophomore dancer Priscilla Hui said. “If she messes up on a move, she will do it again and again until she gets it right.”

Throughout her 8 years of contemporary dancing experience, Chin has often been faced with obstacles, injuries, and hardships but she has chosen to persevere and emerge as a better dancer from this learning opportunity.

“I have struggled with time management, and dancing outside of school is really time consuming. I would get home late at night with little time to work on assignments for school,” Chin said. “Placing time and effort into dancing allows me to truly realize my passion and love for it… I love how dance allows me to let go of the stress built up in my everyday life, and I am able to place all of my focus only on dancing.”