As a graduate of High Technology High School and the Juilliard Pre-College, Laura Futamura will be attending Stanford University in the fall of 2020, where she plans to double-major in engineering and flute performance. Laura competed as a finalist in the 2020 National YoungArts week in Miami, FL and was later selected as a 2020 US Presidential Scholar of the Arts by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and Department of Education. Laura was a member of National Youth Orchestra USA 2019, performing at venues throughout Europe including BBC Proms Royal Albert Hall and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. After being a featured solo artist on NPR’s “From the Top”, she represented the radio show at various events, speaking and performing at Media Impact Funders Forum Philadelphia, Lotos Club NYC, and Music in Somerset Hills NJ. In addition to music, Laura won various robotics awards, including 1st place VEX Robot Skills at the 2018 National Technology Student Association convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Inspired to share her musical experiences with her fellow engineering classmates, Laura founded her school’s first Classical Music Club and performed in the HTHS Classical Music Night. As a lover of fashion, Laura has taken up sewing during quarantine and has upcycled many old clothes. She also spends her time playing the saxophone, hiking, and reading her favorite authors, Murakami and Hosseini.