NJSP Candidates Named

Chae Hyun “Claire” Lee of Oradell and Sophia Lee of Fort Lee are the Academy of the Holy Angels’ nominees to the 2024 New Jersey Scholars Program. NJSP is a highly-selective, five-week summer program for rising high school seniors. AHA’s candidates will now begin the rigorous statewide application process. Finalists will be announced in the spring.

Students who are chosen to attend NJSP will convene at the Lawrenceville School for an interdisciplinary examination of “Wartime Culture: Knowledge and Art in Conflict and Aftermath.” NJSP is funded by private contributions, so there is no tuition. Teen participants only need to cover personal expenses.

Sophia Lee is interested in healthcare focused public policy. She is a Lead Teen Partner for Glomerular Learning Network, a collaborative of 11 pediatric hospital institutions in the United States, and supports physicians and pediatric nephrotic syndrome patients. In 2022, she completed the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson oncology summer program, “Bold and Pharmacy Biomedical THED Camp.” She also shadowed a cardiologist.

Sophia is a nationally ranked USA sabre fencer (A23, the highest designated by USA Fencing). In 2022-23 and 2021-22, she was a USA Fencing National All-American and earned All-Academic First Team honors. During the 2022-23 season, she finished first in the New Jersey State Individual Championship. Sophia, who trains in New York City, has also been named MVP for two consecutive years.

She is captain of the AHA Varsity Fencing Team Sabre Squad, and recently led her team to a first place finish in the district competition. When she is not competing, she serves as a USA Fencing official referee for sabre and epee.

Sophia received AHA’s Mother Caroline Scholarship, and pursues the Academy’s most rigorous courses. She is currently taking Advanced Placement classes in calculus, physics, U.S. History, and economics. Her schedule also includes high honors English and honors Spanish. Sophia has already earned gold and silver medals for her performance on the National Spanish Exam. She is a member of the national honor societies for students who excel in Spanish and mathematics.

She recently competed in the DECA State Championship, where she won the 2023 NJ Instructional Award. Sophia has also received an Honorable Mention for her written submission to the regional level of the Scholastic Art & Writing Competition. Currently, she is editor of the “AHA Voice” newspaper.

As an Angel Ambassador, Sophia represents the Academy at events and interacts directly with prospective Angels and their families. Outside of AHA, Sophia is an assistant Sunday school teacher, a math tutor for a student with special needs, and a summer camp counselor.

Claire Lee is founder and co-vice president of MyTwoCents Foundation, a non-profit that addresses period poverty: financial constraints that prevent women from having access to feminine hygiene products. MyTwoCents donates disposable and reusable hygiene products to those in need, and is now branching out into other charitable work.

This Angel successfully completed the 2023 Ellipsis Writing Workshop, and has been accepted to the Juniper Young Writers Online Program. Her work has been published in the “American Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences Research” (October 2023). She has also received Honorable Mentions for the written works she submitted to the regional Scholastic Art & Writing Competition.

Claire, a Mother Caroline Scholarship recipient, pursues educational opportunities throughout the year. She participated in the High School Fed Challenge hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Camp Business, Lebow Drexel, where she won the business product pitch competition. In 2022, she participated in the Harvard Women in Business Conference.

Her extracurricular activities include competing with the AHA DECA Team. She qualified for the state competition in 2022 and 2023. Claire is also involved with AHA’s Mathletes, Blankets for Linus, and Red Cross organizations. In addition to serving as captain of the AHA Junior Varsity Soccer Team and a member of the JV Spring Track & Field Team, Claire plays sports for her church.

She recently participated in a service trip to Morocco, and volunteers as a member of her church’s media team. Claire also makes time to work part-time as a barista and cashier for a local business.