As Kevin Wang anxiously walks up to the stage, his mind is racing at a million miles per minute. Never before has he done anything that requires this type of skill set; his mind is typically used to program robots and research various scientific theories. Luckily, he adapts quickly, takes a breath, and begins to sing.

This year, Kevin decided to audition for FHC’s rendition of Peter Pan. He had never before been involved in a production prior to this but was introduced to the idea from his lab partner, junior Sam Boezwinkle.

“One day, Sam was saying “You should join the musical,a�� and at first, I was a little nervous,” Kevin said. “But, I decided to audition, and I got in. My audition was actually the first time I had ever sung in front of anyone. It was really something. When I heard I got a callback, I was like “There must be something wrong.a��”

Although foreign to him, Kevin is excited to take on this new challenge. Especially with the theater family behind him, he’s ready to expand his horizons. However, performing in front of a large audience this spring will still prove difficult.

“Honestly, I’ve been trying not to think of [performing] that much,” Kevin said. “Right now, I’m more concerned with practicing. In the end, walking out on stage and singing and dancing on stage is going to be hard, just because I’ll be super nervous– who knows what will happen?”

While the musical will be a new challenge for Kevin, he’d consider himself a veteran in other activities: the robotics team and Science Olympiad.

At a young age, Kevin was fascinated with the idea of robots. This pushed him to become a member of the middle school robotics team, which later became a stepping stone to high school robotics.

“From a really young age, I’ve really enjoyed electronics and the idea of robots,” Kevin said. “Going into high school, I just knew I wanted to try it.”

Kevin also has an appreciation for the team itself, not just the electronics.

“We have so many different teams within our team,” Kevin said. “There’s the electrical team, the programming team, and the build team; we each make something separate that comes together to build a super cool robot.”

After experiencing the robotics team, a number of Kevin’s friends encouraged him to try Science Olympiad: an after-school activity based on scientific research. With all the hard work he puts in, he admits the most enjoyable aspect is the medals ceremony.

“When they call you up and you get to stand in front of everyone and get your medal, it’s really rewarding,” Kevin said.

Although Kevin enjoys the familiar aspects of his activities, he is excited to broaden his horizons, especially with the musical. Though daunting, with a supportive group in his corner, he is sure he’ll tackle the challenge with no problem.

“It’s only been a week, and we’re already like one big family,” Kevin said. “They’ve all been super supportive; I’m excited to work more with them and see where [the musical] takes me.”