It’s only a matter of weeks before it’s graduation day for our beloved seniors, and many of them have decided to take a back seat this year and let the flow of high school run it’s course. This is not the case for Jinsuh Park, a member of the Class of 2022, who had been auditioning for Regionals in the All State Band for three years in a row, and got the privilege of representing Arizona College Prep High School at NAU. The All-State Band was comprised of 124 high school musicians from over 50 high schools in Arizona. They consist of the the top high school musicians within the state of Arizona, and we’re proud to have Jinsuh Park and Shelby Johnson represent our school. However, today, we’ll be focusing on Jinsuh for a flash-from-the-past moment since she was interviewed by former Knight, Kristin Meyer, two years ago. Jinsuh, take it away!

Q: What instrument do you play and how long have you played it? What made you decide to play that instrument? 

A: I played the flute for seven years. I was interested in playing the flute for quite some time when I was younger because I used to play the recorder, and they were similar instruments. I just wanted to play it for the fun of it.

Q: What was the process behind joining the All State band? How did you feel about getting in?

A: First, I had to get into regionals, which consisted of playing a chromatic scale, two major scales, and three etudes. Afterwards, when I got in, I had to perform for their concert (held at McClintock High School) before auditioning for All State back in March 2022. After I heard that I got in, I went to NAU to perform for the All State concert. When I heard I got in, I was relieved and glad that my hard work paid off.

Q: Did anyone you know also join the band? If not, did you meet new people at the concert? What was your biggest takeaway from this experience?

A: There were several people I recognized from Regionals. However, I met new people at the concert due to where I sat. My biggest takeaway from this is that your goals can be attainable, no matter how high they seem.

Q: What was the highlight of this experience? How do you think that this experience impacted you as an individual?

A: The highlight of my experience was that I had the opportunity and honor to perform with the top high school musicians in Arizona. For me, since I stopped playing flute competitively due to me not majoring in music, this was a nice ending to my musical career.

Q: What are your future endeavors and plans for college?

A: I am most likely planning to join the orchestra because I’ve worked really hard for years to get to this point in my musical career, so I want to continue my passion for music. 

Before we say goodbye to our seniors, I believe it’s important to look at how much they have grown as people. From the day they started their high school year as freshmen, to ending their fourth and final year as seniors, so much has changed internally and externally for them. Many have made new friends, some have went through huge, life-changing experiences, but most of all, the amount of growth that occurred for four years, even with the pandemic, is astonishing. With that note, have a great day, Knights! Remember to strive for the impossible and be extraordinary!