Chelsie Lim Is Candidate for US Presidential Scholar in the Arts Program

 Chelsie Lim, a senior at the Academy of the Holy Angels, is a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts program. Lim received her invitation from the National YoungArts Foundation after becoming a 2021 YoungArts Finalist in Classical Music, the highest honor the foundation can confer. 

“I believe I have a strong sense of what I would like to see in the future of classical music,” the Cresskill resident observed. “Appreciating this genre also means recognizing and acting on how it could be improved. I worked on an independent project discussing how classical musicians could initiate innovation in the industry without abandoning its integrity, and I would love to introduce my ideas more tangibly through other artistic and academic disciplines.”

Lim believes her project is particularly timely due to the ongoing pandemic.

“Studying music has made me aware of the subtleties of human emotion. Music captures what words cannot in a way that is universally understandable, and this has allowed me to develop empathy and observance as integral values,” she noted. “Beyond all of the joys and camaraderie in this community, at the end of the day, classical music is an individual sport. It has challenged me in all directions, and I believe that learning to overcome such obstacles has strengthened my introspection, diligence, and compassion.”

Lim was accepted to Yale University in December 2021. She said she is still waiting to hear back from other schools, but indicated that Yale is one of her top choices.

She plans to major in psychology. 

Even as she applies for status as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Lim is preparing to compete live in Washington, D.C. in March.

“I was also recently selected as a semifinalist for the 2022 Johansen International Competition for Young String Players,” she explained. Lim was one of only 30 students to be selected from competitors from around the world.

Her honors also include a gold medal with high distinction in the young artist category of the Third Berliner International Music Competition. She also earned the Grand Prize and First Place in Division 3 of the Semi-Annual Philadelphia International Music Festival Concerto Competition.

She has been studying music at school and beyond since she was in the third grade. This May, she will graduate from the pre-college program at the Juilliard School of Music. Lim has been studying at this prestigious school on weekends for the past seven years. She is also part of the Perlman Music Program, which she attends during the summer.

She is currently involved with the Ponticelli Cellists, a non-profit cello quartet.

Lim has been welcomed into multiple honor societies at Holy Angels, including the National Honor Society, the National Italian Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (math), and Rho Kappa (social studies). Currently, she is serving as president of the Academy’s Class of 2022. She is regularly named to the AHA Principal’s List for maintaining an average of 95 or above.

“I am also the co-president of Angels on Air at AHA, which involves my other passions for media, film, and production,” Lim added. 

Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious school serves young women from a broad spectrum of cultural and religious backgrounds. Over time, thousands of women have passed through AHA’s portals. Many go on to study at some of the nation’s best universities, earning high-ranking positions in medicine, government, law, education, public service, business, arts, and athletics. The Academy’s current leaders continue to further the SSND mission to provide each student with the tools she needs to reach the fullness of her potential—spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically, by offering a first-rate education in a nurturing environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and service to others.