16-Year-Old International and National Award Winning Artists
Max Boyang & Louis Boyang
From a young age, we began to pursue a journey of the arts. We grew as we explored our own artistic endeavors and pursued our interests. It was then that we came into contact with the Joey’s Wings foundation and learned about the unprecedented strength of Joey and Kathy, and of Joey’s kidney cancer. After dedicating all proceeds of one of our solo art shows to the Joey’s Wings cause, many of our efforts have and will continue to be closely intertwined with the foundation.
We have established the Michigan branch of the Joey’s Wings foundation and are currently juniors in High School. Together, we hope to continue the message of hope and progress towards pediatric cancer awareness.
16-Year-Old Young Engineer and Inventor
Evan Wang
I am a rising senior in Basis Independent Silicon Valley High School. I love robotics and engineering projects, especially getting software and hardware working seamlessly together. In middle school, I made a T-shirt folding machine for my younger brother to help with chores using lego parts and programming. Eventually, I fell in love with 3D printers after I got into high school. I started making all kinds of gadgets that saw everyday use, like phone, computer, and tablet stands, stenography keyboards, and cup holders.
I got to know Joey at age 2. He and I grew up together in the bay area before he moved to Florida. I couldn’t forget our Florida visit a few months before Joey’s passing. We were playing legos together in their beautiful home. Losing Joey was surreal- I just couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he was gone. No child should have to lose a battle to cancer because their parents can’t afford treatment, and no parent should have to realize that treatment for their child is too expensive for them. I started selling the phone and tablet stands and dedicated the proceeds to the Joey’s Wings Foundation. I have made over $1000, all of which will go to their financial assistance program. This is a long term project and I am glad my engineering skills are helping to make a difference.
You can check out the phone and iPad stand on youtube.
Joey’s Wings String Quartet
David Xu is 12 years old and plays cello at the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra. Inspired by his brother
Joey’s love of music, David started cello lessons at the age of 7. He won first place (strings category 1) in the
San Diego Young Protégé Music Competition in 2019.
Lucas Kang is 12 years old and has been learning to play the violin for five years and is excited to be part
of the string ensemble with his MMYO friends, performing for good causes at various venues. In his
pastime, Lucas loves to cook and play with his furry friend GingGing.
Max Ioana is 11 years old and has been learning violin for 5 years. In addition to the violin, he likes
basketball, math and games!
Maya Brisard is an 11 year old violinist from Solana Beach. She started playing the violin at age 5 after
attending a few family concerts with the San Diego Symphony and falling in love with the instrument. She
joined the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra at age of 6 in their Suzuki Strings program. She has since played
and served as Concertmaster also in Beginning Strings ensemble and this year she serves as Concertmaster
in the Intermediate Strings Ensemble. She has won First Prize in the MMYO Solo Competition three times –
in 2019, 2020 and 2022. In April 2023 she won Third Prize in the state VOCE Competition. She has
attended masterclasses with Midori and David Chan, CM of New York Opera. Other that violin, she loves to
read, swim, hike, travel and spend time at the beach with family and friends. She’s also a Girl Scout.
Nathan Teng is 10 years old and started learning the violin in 2020 during the lockdown. He enjoys
playing with friends at Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra and Solana Beach School District Advanced Band,
where he plays the oboe and clarinet. He also loves playing the piano as it allows him to sit. Besides music,
Nathan loves origami, magic and yo-yo tricks, and playing video games. His dream is to become a musician.