Liam

"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen."

- Michael Jordan

Hello my name is Liam. I am a hard-working, honest and kind student. I am 14 years old right now and I really like to make art, read, and play the drums in my free time.

I like to draw and make water paintings. I like to read long fiction novels like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner.

On top of that, I started learning drumming from my music teacher in 4th grade. I practice every week and whenever we have big school events, I play drums for the whole school community. After I finish a performance, I usually feel really good about it!

Thank you for viewing my portfolio.

Academic Pursuits

One project I am most proud of is…. our inter-disciplinary project which involved team work to create our own solar system, including the biomes and animal life found on our planets.

I always have liked science so this is why I picked this project for my slides. For this project we split up into different groups and each group had to make their own solar system with a habitable planet and we had to make different biomes and animals/plants to live in those biomes. We also had to make artifacts and history for the people on the planet. It was very fun to work on this project because it is fun to work with friends. Although it was a hard and long project to work on because there was a lot of research we needed to do, I learned how to plan and collaborate with my friends. It was a good learning process.

Science

In summer 2021, I went to Wisconsin with my parents for a vacation. We went to a science center to learn about pond ecology. My interest continued to grow so this year my class went to Liberty State Park Conservation Center, where I volunteered to help get rid of weeds that were in the gardens.

Passion Project: Art

Two years ago when I was working with our art teacher, I made a watercolor painting in class. My artwork was chosen by the yearbook committee to be the cover of the yearbook for that year. It took me two to three hours to make this painting. I started by sketching the gazebo from a picture and then slowly added more smaller details to it. Once I finished sketching it, I started to paint with watercolors. I felt excited and honored when my artwork was chosen!

In My Free Time..

Animation

I started watching animations when I was a little kid. I watched Cars and I started getting curious about how animations are made. Because of that animation is something that I want to learn, and that has become my passion. I continue watching animations and I also now started watching videos about how animations are made. I would like to learn how to make animations from the beginning and also how to make them digitally.

Robotics: First Lego League

In 3rd grade, I joined the school's First Lego League team. My team members and I used legos to make a robot and then used the robot to compete against other teams in completing tasks. My team won a trophy for the innovation challenge. This experience opened my interest in science and making robots.

Sports: Soccer

Music: Drumming

Here I am preparing for the Peace Day Celebration for our whole school community.

When I was in 4th grade I decided to take drumming lessons. The reason I started to play drums is because I like to feel the beats. It was difficult in the beginning because I didn't understand what I needed to do. But I never gave up. I continue to practice every week even though it is hard.

The hard work paid off! I frequently perform in the whole school events in front of our whole community. I have performed at the Peace Day celebration, Recitals, School Concerts, and Graduations. It is always nerve racking, but practicing regularly helps me feel prepared in those big performances. Here is one of my performance videos.

Clubs & Extracurriculars

I’ve been a member of the following clubs and extracurriculars during my school years:

Robotics: We competed twice in the First Lego League Challenge pre-pandemic
St. Peter’s Prep Higher Achievement Program: Summer 2023
“Leading Self, Leading Others” Leadership Workshop 2022 and 2023
Drumming Private Music Lessons
Parkour competitions: GRIT Training Gym
Teaching religious education classes: St. Malachy’s Church to younger kids
Midfielder and Goalie: Jersey City Soccer Association teams