Hi, I’m Joseph Baek, a high-school student at Orange County School of the Arts and a long-time origami enthusiast.

Beyond the classroom, I build with my hands. Origami is my laboratory for structure, where I design elaborate models from one square sheet of paper to learn the tensions that exist in between creases. I teach workshops at music camps and senior homes, sharing my passion with both the young and the elderly. At the Amici Music Festival at Pepperdine University during the summer of 2025, I taught origami to elementary and middle school students. Creating “V” shapes following the Mountain and Valley Fold technique and making cranes after forming the preliminary base really helped the youth build their confidence and dexterity. Furthermore, at Ivy Park Assisted Living Fullerton, I hold bi-monthly origami workshops for seniors, helping individuals who struggle with motor functions and memory issues. By actively engaging nerve synapses, my great hope is to keep neurodegenerative deficits at bay. Through these experiences, I have had the honor of witnessing first hand the capacity of the human body and its ability to rebuild skills with steady practice.