With Ms. Nancy Toff at the 2026 National Flute Association Convention
Attending the Life Member and Donor Appreciation Reception with Dr. Jennifer Grim and Dr. Daniel Pardo at the 2026 National Flute Association Convention
Chamber Music Magazine wrote in a 1992 article that “Every woman flute player in every major American orchestra, every little girl who plays the flute in a school band, has Frances Blaisdell to thank. She was the first.”
I was deeply honored to be the first high school student awarded the Frances Blaisdell Scholarship by the National Flute Association (NFA).
Frances Blaisdell was one of the first women to enter the male-dominated world of orchestral performance. She began studying flute at age five, and although a New York Philharmonic musician initially refused to teach her after learning she was female, he was eventually persuaded to become her instructor.
In 1928, she auditioned for Juilliard after the school mistakenly recorded her name as “Francis” and expected a male applicant, at a time when women were not accepted as wind players. Frances’s admission helped open the door for future generations of female wind players. She became the first woman to perform as a wind soloist with the New York Philharmonic, defying those who once told her that a woman could never build a career on the flute.
https://stanfordmag.org/contents/instrumental-figure
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Blaisdell
Following her retirement from performing, Blaisdell taught at Stanford University until her death in 2009 at age 97. In 1994, Blaisdell received the NFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her trailblazing status as a flutist. In 2005, she was also awarded a Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award to honor her exceptional contributions as a flute educator.
https://www.nfaonline.org/about/about-the-nfa/nfa-news-updates/2025/07/02/frances-blaisdell-convention-scholarship-awarded-to-alice-hu-and-nathan-anderson
One of the most memorable moments in my musical journey came when I received the Frances Blaisdell Scholarship by the National Flute Association. I learned from her close friend, Ms. Nancy Toff, Vice President at Oxford University Press, and from Dr. Jennifer Grim, President of the National Flute Association, that Blaisdell was the first female wind player accepted to Juilliard—only because the school mistook her for a boy. Her story of breaking barriers moved me. Her courage and determination encourage me to use music as a force for empowerment. Through the Do Re Mi project and local Youth Orchestra, I helped those under-resourced students, and I brought my music peers volunteer to the local senior center. Like Blaisdell, I believe music should be accessible to all people. My goal is to keep learning music to make a meaningful difference in the lives of underserved and vulnerable populations.
In my senior IB Math Internal Assessment, I independently designed a statistical study analyzing pitch distributions across orchestral instruments in Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9. By converting musical notes into Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) values and applying statistical measures such as skewness, kurtosis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA), I found that instrumental roles significantly influence composers’ pitch usage across musical registers: melodic instruments tended to favor higher registers, while bass instruments clustered around lower pitches. An ANOVA test confirmed statistically significant differences in mean pitch among instrument families, demonstrating how quantitative analysis can reveal structural patterns within music. This interdisciplinary project ultimately showed me how mathematics can uncover hidden order within artistic expression.
At my school, the IB program and the general student population exist in parallel worlds. Historically, the different coursework, separate buildings, schedules, restrooms, and after-school activities divided a predominantly Asian IB cohort from a largely African American traditional student population. Thus, there was a wall between us, and I endeavored to break it.
To bridge this divide, I encouraged students from diverse backgrounds to participate in Tri-M Music Honor Society service project performing at a local senior center, where most residents primarily speak Spanish or Mandarin. Through this initiative, for the first time, I watched with pride as students from across identities: five African American, three Asian, one Muslim, and three White students rehearsed and performed side by side, united to create an ensemble with a common goal: using music to serve those who cannot speak English.
Beyond music, I also coordinated after-school transportation so that a teammate—the only African American girl on our swim team—could attend practices and meets regularly. During African American History Month, our SNHS chapter decorated the science classroom door with images and stories highlighting Black scientists and their contributions. These experiences reshaped my understanding of leadership. I now see it as creating access and making room for the people who were separated by systems.
Video recordings
Boston University Tanglewood Institute
2025 Woodwind Quintet Workshop, Group 1
At the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, I studied with Prof. Valerie Coleman, a Grammy Award–winning flutist, composer, and founder of this workshop, and encountered a diverse repertoire shaped by African American traditions, blues techniques, and culturally rooted expressions that opened my eyes to new musical perspectives. Performing works such as Red Clay and the Mississippi Delta and Umoja expanded my understanding of music beyond the Classical canon and deepened my appreciation for how sound can carry history, culture, and collective identity. This experience inspired my passion for storytelling through music.
BUTI 1: https://youtu.be/qDsxbywg6aU
https://youtu.be/eGyzU59xZfQ
BUTI 2: https://youtu.be/BJc65Y6m018
https://youtu.be/XuY-AWXxa_M
BUTI 3: https://youtu.be/CyBHrONL_kM
BUTI 4: https://youtu.be/UKCRspcaiRY
BUTI 5: https://youtu.be/BJc65Y6m018
BUTI 6: https://youtu.be/I8D-UPSSPgA
Interlochen Center for the Arts
2023 Flute Intensive Summer Camp
https://youtu.be/ntUhmLkmN6s
https://youtu.be/x2IQnwO120c
https://youtu.be/0o_CURS6zmM
https://youtu.be/N-Bw0aJQ4rI
Tri-M Music Honor Society, King High School
Volunteer at a senior center
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX0jgVpVRxQ
https://youtu.be/hHZ-zwtQ6MI
https://youtu.be/PkKZBmzEvks
https://youtu.be/mGjjFGXnP4M
https://youtu.be/zZW0ogaoY3o
https://youtu.be/1HV_vdwS0oI
https://youtu.be/1nmI_-SEC6k
https://youtu.be/aYmXf5ikASM
https://youtu.be/LTEteevui2c
https://youtu.be/eRt-QyWiTyw
As co-captain of the swim team, I learned the usefulness of Tian-Ji’s Horse Racing Strategy in competitions-An ancient Chinese strategy where you use your strengths wisely to help the whole team win, even if you don’t win every individual event. Also, I mentor swimmers and step into challenging roles when needed. At the state championship, I filled in for an injured teammate, swimming an unfamiliar stroke that helped our relay team place 18th.
At the 2024 and 2025 Garcia Summer Research Programs, I completed 3 projects on ordered DNA fragmentation using Tn5 transposase. In March 2026, my colleagues and I at the Garcia Summer Program will present our fourth research poster on DNA sequencing at the Biological Physics section of the American Physical Society Global Physics Summit in Denver, Colorado. Our projects integrate biology, physics, and materials science to investigate how molecular tools can be engineered for precise control at the nanoscale. Together with my statistics and music project, these experiences define what excites me most this year: learning across fields seen as separate but that can combine to discover hidden, creative structure. Thus, I am drawn to constructing new frameworks at the intersection of mathematical musicology and nanoscale biophysics. In the near future, I hope to explore DNA sonification, where researchers turn genetic sequences into musical melodies to identify mutations through sound.
In addition, I independently created and designed an official logo for the Program.
Florida Association of Mu Alpha Theta 2026 January Regional Sweepstake: 5th Place
As a leader in my school’s Mu Alpha Theta chapter, I helped organize four consecutive state-wide competitions (2023–2026). In Feburary, 2026, I co-led the planning and execution of the event and awards ceremony for 900 students from 37 schools, raising approximately $9,000 to support math education initiatives.
Also, I am proud to have organized Tampa Region 4’s first “Fest-4-all” (Fest-IV-al) competition and fundraiser in November 2025.
On the math team, I learned that leadership is not just a title but a pathway to building a community where excellence flourishes, and math becomes more accessible. Many students in Tampa, particularly at two newly established schools, lack advanced courses and coaching. Knowing this inspired me to help organize this event. Beyond writing statistics competition problems, I donated four Bumblebees I hand-crocheted as awards for the “Differentiation-Bee”, making the event more inviting.
This event brought together 100 students from eight schools and raised over $1,000 for the fund. Through organization and outreach, I saw how creativity and community can make STEM more welcoming and inclusive for all students.
I was selected as Principal Flutist for the 2026 Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) All-State Symphonic Band, where I performed under the direction of Colonel Schofield, Commander and Conductor of The United States Air Force Band, whose leadership included performances at the 59th Presidential Inauguration of President Joe Biden.
During my time in the Moffitt Cancer Center VolunTeen Program in 2024, I helped provide nutritionally balanced meals to patients undergoing chemotherapy and assisted nurses in improving clinic flow and patient support. Through these interactions, I saw how unequal access to healthcare remains one of society’s most pressing challenges, not only medically, but emotionally. Small acts of compassion and clear communication can make complex treatment regimens feel more humane for patients and their families. During my volunteering there, I learned from the staff that First Lady Dr. Jill Biden had visited Moffitt Cancer Center in 2022 to launch the Cancer Moonshot initiative. It reinforced for me how systemic innovation and everyday human care must work together to truly improve health outcomes.
2025 Garcia Summer Research Symposium
https://youtu.be/nbGlZC7tPZA
2024 Garcia Summer Research Symposium
https://youtu.be/0p21SogkAak
https://youtu.be/nqUxhLycYvA
Garcia Summer Research Program
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/garcia/_pdf/yearbook_PDFs_compressed/2025-min.pdf
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/garcia/_pdf/yearbook_PDFs_compressed/2024-min.pdf