As young adults who have lived most, if not all, of our lives in the technology-rich Silicon Valley, it’s easy to take our circumstances for granted. We hear the words “third world” and “underdeveloped nation” tossed around from an early age, but don’t understand the true extent of that reality because we haven’t lived it. Amenities like public education, clean drinking water, and electronic devices are necessities to us in this day and age. If we want to buy something, Amazon is only a click away. If we want to eat out, we have a grand selection of restaurants rather than just fast food. Technology and innovation are constantly at our fingertips–and there’s no better example of our current reliance on it than how we fared during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of us complained when we experienced wifi and power outages, when we had to take our classes from a computer screen for hours each day, when we had to connect with others through video chat rather than personal interactions. It was certainly challenging, and that’s not to say we shouldn’t mourn our lost time and isolation. However, we had the resources to continue our educations safely from home, while many other youths around the globe do not have that luxury. Being able to organize another virtual GYP concert as well would not have been possible without the resources we have here, and this realization has made me better appreciate how privileged I am.

This is essentially the goal of GYP, to expand our world views as young adults living in the Bay Area and channeling our passions for music to fundraise for an important cause. This year, all our proceeds will go to First Love International Girls’ Home in Siliguri, India. From our virtual tour of the home, we could see that the 20 girls living there are making the best of their circumstances. Apart from our material advantages, they are not much different from us; they make their rooms feel like home by decorating it with artwork, they play and learn together, and they embrace their culture through music and dance.

In reality, it’s only our chance of being born and raised here that separate our life prospects, because we have the same goals, the same dreams of pursuing a fulfilling education and career when we grow up. I hope you will join us in our mission as we both enrich ourselves and support other youths around the world in becoming who we each hope to be.

Emma Constable

                GYP Event Chair

Amanda Xiao, Event Performer
Amanda is a sophomore at Monta Vista High in Cupertino, and this is her first year as a performer in GYP. She has been playing piano for ten years. Academically, she does robotics and coding competitions. Other times, she likes to draw, listen to music, and play badminton.

Amanjyoti Mridha, Event Performer, Program Designer
Amanjyoti Mridha is a junior attending Monta Vista High School. He has been playing the violin since he was 5. He is passionate about math and science, being part of his school's robotics team and some of his hobbies include art, table tennis, and swimming. He hopes to make a difference as a member of GYP by using music to help those in the orphanage in Siliguri.

Andrew Wang, Video Editor
Andrew is a senior at Mountain View High School. He has been playing piano since kindergarten, and this is his fourth year in GYP, where he has both performed on-stage and worked behind the scenes. Along with music, he enjoys learning about computer science and playing games. He is glad that to have taken these opportunities to help those in need with music.

Austin Min, Event Performer, Treasurer
Austin is a senior at American High School in Fremont, and he has been playing piano for almost seven years. This year is his fourth year at GYP. Besides piano, Austin enjoys playing water polo on his school's varsity team, as well as hanging out with friends and fulfilling his strange obsession to Game Pigeon games. Austin is excited to help First Love Siliguri, and hopes to leave a positive mark on the world through GYP.

Cynthia Feng, Event Performer
Cynthia is currently a senior at Los Gatos High School and has been playing piano for over 10 years. Outside of her musical endeavors, she loves writing, shades of green, and listening to Studio Ghibli soundtracks. In her fourth year being a part of GYP, she is grateful for the opportunity to continue connecting with others through music.

Emma Constable, Event Chair
Elizabeth is currently a senior at The Harker School in San Jose, and she has been playing piano since she was five years old. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, reading, and learning how to cook. This is her fourth year in GYP, and she is excited to have the opportunity to help the orphanage in Guatemala.

Erika Wu, Event Performer
Erika Wu is a current sophomore at Lynbrook High School who has played piano since she was 5 years old, and this is her second year as a GYP member. In her free time, she loves to explore the complex forms of AI, serve on her school's legislative council, as well as learn some of her favorite k-pop songs on the piano. Although it is only her first year as an actual performer, she hopes to make a difference through fundraisers and doing her best when performing pieces at the annual concerts!

Grace Tan, Event Performer
Grace Tan is a junior at Monta Vista High School and has been a member of GYP for three years now. She has been playing piano for 9 years now and is excited to use her interest in music to help those in need through GYP. In her free time, Grace enjoys playing tennis, listening to music, and reading.

Hanson Bai, Event Performer
Hanson Bai is currently a freshman at Monta Vista High School, and he has just started GYP this year. He has played the piano for 7 years. His other hobbies include solving puzzles, reading, and doing math. He wants to be in GYP to try something new and help with world issues.

Helena Feng, Event Performer
Helena is a senior currently attending Los Gatos High School. This is her fifth and final year in GYP, but she looks forward to continue using music to benefit the community and others in need. Currently, she frequently visits her local nursing home, where she plays piano daily for their residents. Academically, Helena is interested in studying neuroscience and biology. Outside of school, she is a book and geography enthusiast, enjoys drawing and journaling, and likes to collect stationary.

Iris Wang, Event Performer
Iris is currently a sophomore at Cupertino High. She has been playing piano for 10 years and this is her third year participating in GYP. In her free time, she enjoys watching TV shows and baking for her friends and family. She's excited to be able to help the girls in First Love Siliguri Children's Home this year.

Isha Kotalwar, Event Performer
Isha Kotalwar is a sophomore at The Harker School, and she has been playing the alto saxophone since she was in 5th grade, joining her middle school and high school band too. This is her first year at GYP and she is excited to help make a difference. In her spare time, Isha enjoys playing basketball and softball, and watching cricket.

Jessie Ko, Event Performer
Jessie is a freshman at Monta Vista High School. She has been playing the violin for around 6 years. She has also played the piano since she was 5 or 6 years old.

Keira Tong, Event Performer
Keira Tong is a sophomore attending Cupertino High School and this is her first time participating in GYP. She has been playing violin since she was 8 years old. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and playing piano.

Marina Yu, Choir Coordinator
Marina Yu is a junior attending Lynbrook High School. She is a pre-college voice major specializing in baroque at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Apart from singing, she enjoys playing the piano, listening to music, and playing soccer. This is her first year as a GYP member and third year as a part of the choir. She is excited to have this opportunity to use her passion for music towards a charitable cause.

Marina Yu, Event Performer
Marina Yu is a junior attending Lynbrook High School. She is a pre-college voice major specializing in baroque at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Apart from singing, she enjoys playing the piano, listening to music, and playing soccer. This is her first year as a GYP member and third year as a part of the choir. She is excited to have this opportunity to use her passion for music towards a charitable cause.

Neil Van Eikema Hommes, Event Performer
Neil is a senior at Lynbrook High School. He has been playing the piano for 12 years, and this is his second year in GYP. In his free-time he enjoys coding in Python, Java and C++, playing videogames such as CSGO and League of Legends, and fencing. He is happy to be able to put his piano skills to the test and to help people in need.

Pravin Agrawal-Chung, Event Performer
Pravin is a 11th grader at Monta Vista High School and has been playing piano for 10 years. Other than piano, he also swims competitively. He also likes to cook and hang out with friends. This is his 3rd year at GYP and is excited to help out the kids in India.

Roksalana Patton, Event Performer, Social Media Manager
Roksalana Patton is a sophomore at Lynbrook high school for the 2020-2021 school year. She has been playing piano for almost 8 years, and she also likes to play french horn. She is especially passionate about piano, and she wants to use her privilege of playing piano to help children around the world.

Sabrina Ning, Event Performer, Ticket Designer
Sabrina Ning is a junior at Lynbrook High School. She has been playing the piano for twelve years, and this is her fourth year in GYP. Besides music, she also enjoys graphic design, dancing, baking, and doing community service. This year, she looks forward to helping the less fortunate children in India through her passion for music.

Smriti Rangarajan, Event Performer
Smriti Rangarajan is a sophomore at Monta Vista High School and has been playing piano since she was six years old. She hopes to pursue a career in business and computer science in the future and her hobbies include reading, drawing, and listening to music. Smriti is excited to play for GYP and support the orphanage in India.

Victoria Hu, T-shirt Designer
Victoria is a sophomore attending Saratoga High School. She was introduced to piano at age 5 and violin at age 9, which sparked her interest in classical music. As a result, she joined GYP to use music to positively impact the world. Other than piano and violin, her activities and hobbies include reading novels, drawing with color pencils, and solving math puzzles.