Introducing OCSA’s Dragon Kim Fellows!

Jessica Hong

Every year, the Dragon Kim Foundation, a non-profit organization centered around inspiring youth to impact their local communities, selects a few high school students for their Fellowship Program to support their passions and social-entrepreneurship spirit over the summer. Here are three of the Dragon Fellowship projects created by OCSA students!

TWO STEP TOGETHER - Edward Chen (IA ‘24) and Jadon Vo (CMD ‘25)

Combining their dedication for hip-hop and their involvement in community service, Edward Chen and Jadon Vo created their project in order to spread their love of hip-hop to youth in underserved communities. “Hip-hop is an art form that isn’t represented as well as other forms in dance,” Chen says. While researching about the hip-hop community, Chen found that, compared to other dance mediums, such as commercial or contemporary, hip-hop had a significant gap in employment, fundraising, and being recognized overall. He also hopes that the project will not only advocate for the spread of hip-hop, but also become a “de-stressor” to youth.

Chen and Vo found their inspiration from their long commitment in dance and Groovy Babies, the hip-hop team. As being part of the dance team requires disciplined and collaborative work with continuous practice, Chen and Vo realized that they could help others develop a passion for hip-hop as well.

For Vo, he can call his dance members a “second family.” “Ever since I was a kid, dance has always held a special place in my heart. I’ve built great friendships through dance and I feel blessed to have been immersed in hip-hop at such a young age. That’s why I’m eager for this project. I want to give kids the same experience, sharing the passion and fire we have,” he explained.

Preparing for the summer, Chen and Vo plan to create camps educating kids about fundamentals, the roots of hip-hop culture, building character. “You just want to emphasize the freedom of hip-hop because a lot of the grooves and technique create your own self-expression. Of course we want them to teach them choreographed dance through this summer, but I also think it’s important they should find their own inspirations to unleash that creative expression” Chen said.

SOMEWHERE IN TIME - Kaylie Viloria (P&D ‘25) and Kyle Kim (FTV ‘25)

Somewhere In Time is a special project focusing on spreading stories of Asian elderly through film in Southern California. By compiling stories of the older Asian-American generation and their history, Viloria and Kim hope to inspire and impact the younger generation as well as removing taboos around the elderly.

When creating their project, Viloria and Kim were both inspired by their own families.

For Kim, it all started when he came back to visit his home in South Korea. As he was hearing about his great-grandmother’s experience living during World War II, he realized that there were many unwritten, unrecorded parts of history that were important to bring to light.

Kim took his camera and began to record her account. After editing and finalizing some touches, a spark lit up in his head. He knew that he needed to share these stories with his community.

Viloria’s inspiration developed ever since she was little. As an avid history lover, she learned about her great-grandfather’s story and his life being a political prisoner during the 228 massacre. Ever since her grandmother and great-grandfather retold the experience, Viloria immediately thought that creating a project to share her great-grandfather’s past could educate others.

With their website and platform, Kim and Viloria also hope to bring an end to dehumanization of Asian Americans, especially during the pandemic. Viloria says that since the pandemic, her great-grandfather had been getting “death-threats outside of his door.” The two fellows hope that with enough growth in their project, they could expand outside of Southern California to inform a larger audience about untold stories of Asian elderly.

FIND YOUR LIGHT - Lana Lee (IA ‘26) and Lily Jang (freshman at Woodbridge High School)

Find Your Light is a non-profit service organization committed to bringing performing arts to communities in Santa Ana. During these week-long camps, kids play games, songs, musical theatre dances, and vocal techniques. At the end of the week, the students showcase everything they have learned through choreographed performances. Partnered up with other established nonprofits and local libraries, Lee and Jang have already set up multiple musical theatre camps locally during the past year and plan on creating more during this summer.

Above all else, Lana’s main goal for the project is sustainability. “We want this project to be ongoing and passed down from generation to generation so that anyone can experience the joy of musical theatre for no cost,” Lee said.

Lee found her inspiration coming from her lifelong connection with musical theatre. Lee says that the art form had “changed me and who I am today.”

“Before, I used to be a really shy and timid person. It was hard for me to speak to strangers or people that I had just met. But now, I’m a lot more confident and have more courage when I’m talking with different people because of musical theatre.” With everything she has learned from, Lee wants to pass down her knowledge and excitement to underserved communities.