Ava Kang Scholar Artist Merit Winner
Congratulations to Ava Kang of Carle Place UFSD who is a Long Island Arts Alliance Scholar Artist Merit Award Winner for 2026-27!
A senior studying 3D Animation, Ava was so surprised to find out she had been recognized by LIAA’s Scholar Artist community among the most talented students on Long Island. She shares, “Having this program makes me happy knowing that it is giving so many gifted young artists recognition and encouragement to continue creating art.”
Ava attributes LIHSA faculty member, Christopher Fedorczak, for helping her find her LIHSA major. She shares, “Mr. Fedorczak is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, and I’m not just saying that because this is for LIHSA. I wasn’t actually too into 3D OR animation before joining the class, but he had a lot to do with igniting this passion in me. I really couldn’t have done any of this without him. My short film couldn’t exist if I didn’t have his guidance. He is such a funny, chill teacher and I truly love spending 2 hours every day in his classroom.”
At LIHSA, Ava has grown and stretched artistically and as a person. She shares, “LIHSA has completely changed the way I see my future and the way that I want to navigate it. This environment was the catalyst for so many amazing friendships, both in and outside of my department. Learning more about these people who share the same passion and joy for creation has been incredible! So many awesome, creative minds enter this building every day and I find it so inspiring to be surrounded by this much talent. The atmosphere is extremely welcoming and accepting, something that I don’t always feel at my home school. I’ve never felt this embraced in my life; LIHSA is a place where I can just be myself with no strings attached. I feel like a more confident and sociable person. I remember the beginning of my first year, everybody was quiet and nervous to talk. But knowing that these people share my interests, it motivated me to bond with them, and I now share so many good memories with them. I loved the field trips when the whole class talked for the entire hour-long bus ride. What’s not to love?”
She also feels well prepared for what’s next. Ava reflected, “LIHSA has helped me understand a lot of the real-world situations that I’ll encounter soon. College planning, job interviews, renting an apartment — it’s all extremely applicable to what is coming right ahead of me. It has also gotten me ties to industry professionals through our resident artist program, which is exciting. Not everybody gets to experience that in high school, so I feel really privileged to have that for myself.”
Looking to the future, Ava’s dream would be to work in the video game industry, modeling characters for a big studio or animating action scenes. Her ultimate goal would be the creative director of a game. She shares, “Storytelling, in both a literal sense and an artistic one is a reason why animation has always stuck out so much to me. It’s the best of both worlds!”
Next year, Ava would like to pursue a degree in industrial design, seeing it as a major that is an intersection between science, design, and art. For her career, “I hope that in the future, I’ll have the same passion that I’ve had for creation my whole life. Other than that, I want to be able to have a job that I love, surround myself with lovely people, and make every second I spend count.”
We wish that for you too, Ava! We can’t wait to see your future creations.
