High School Learner Spotlight: Enni H.

My name is Enni, and I’m a classical pianist and a senior at iLEAD Exploration. I entered iLEAD on the cusp of my junior year, as I sought the flexibility of its curriculum, which would allow me to thrive as an artist and musician. As a musician, I crave that extra time with my instrument — time that has allowed me to dive deeper into my repertoire as well as participate in more piano competitions on both a statewide and national level. Most recently, I was awarded a scholarship by the Chopin Foundation of the United States, as well as being inducted into the 2023-2028 Young Artists Guild of the Music Teachers Association of California. I have performed in international music festivals in Italy and Paris and will be performing in Poland this summer.

iLEAD’s flexible hybrid curriculum has allowed me to explore some of my other interests as well, particularly my passion for writing. In 2021, my first book, Remember the Flowers, was published by the Children’s Art Foundation, and in 2023 I was named LA Youth Poet Laureate Finalist and Ambassador.

What I’ve learned is that an overall framework and support system is the best kind of curriculum for me to thrive as an artist, one in which I could adapt and adjust on my own terms based on where I was in that moment with my artistic endeavors. The countless hours that my EF has spent with me over the past two years have been instrumental in helping me navigate my way through high school.

This year, I was accepted into music institutions including the Eastman School of Music; San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Michigan University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance; USC Thornton School of Music; the Peabody Institute of Music; as well as Johns Hopkins University as a Writing Seminars Double Major. I am thrilled to be spending my next four years as a Presidential Scholar at the USC Thornton School of Music.