Teens of Bay Area

Ball to his chest, poised for action, Kevin Gan, is focused on the next drive. 

A senior at Los Gatos High, Kevin has played basketball for years; first hopping over his neighborhood fence to challenge his older brother and eventually competing with the National Junior Basketball league. He started competitive basketball in 6th grade, and has since played for AAU Basketball, Top Flight Elite and Fierce Basketball Leagues.

“The dedication and consistency brought structure and gave me something to anticipate every day,” Kevin said.

But beginning competitive basketball, Kevin was determined to turn his hobbies into a side hustle. Since, he has been refereeing at the leagues he used to play for and started coaching aspiring basketball players like himself.

“It’s rewarding seeing the younger kids play and have a place to enjoy basketball,” Kevin said.

Though his other life, he’s constantly playing, performing, and composing at the piano —eventually becoming a paid accompanist and a section leader in the Los Gatos Tri-M Music Honor Society.

Piano is not the only instrument he can play, though; violin, an elective he began in middle school, eventually led him to delve deeper into the portrayal of music in films.

Most recently, Kevin completed nine weeks at the University of California Santa Cruz’s Science Internship Program, where he worked as an intern with Professor Ben Leeds Carson, mentor Nina Barzegar, and two other interns on the project Exploration of Music’s Influence on Film Narrative.

“The first two weeks, I started from the basics: reading articles and texts about the history of music and learning about the different camera shots,” Kevin said. “Eventually, I designed my first sonic design, but had to rework my eight pages of music composition because it could not be adapted to a full orchestra.”

As a result, Kevin began examining the note ranges of different instruments, in hopes of adapting them to his music composition. But, they weren’t the only thing he discovered.

“From this project, I’ve learned that creativity within composition isn’t nearly as romantic as I’d imagined,” Kevin said. “It takes more than a sudden spark of inspiration or an evening on the piano; instead, it’s a process that requires meticulous research and iteration, a challenge to both passion and resilience.”

But whether it’s refereeing for basketball every summer, working as a paid accompanist, or interning at UCSC SIP, Kevin always believes that it’s important to have balance in his life, a philosophy he credits, in part, to Mr. Ghafourpour, the orchestra director at Los Gatos High.

“He’s taught me a lot about things that I’m looking for in life,” Kevin said. “He has the skills to be a professional musician, to play in top orchestras around the world, yet chooses to teach because it’s his true passion. I also appreciate that Mr. Ghafourpour always emphasizes the journey. Too often, we spend our time obsessing over temporary goals that take on falsely larger-than-life importance, and Mr. Ghafourpour reminds us to enjoy the moment and prioritize the things we truly care about.”

As Kevin enters his final year of high school, he’s reminded that life is a series of “leaps of faith and that it’s more important to act than regret inaction.”

Now, he inspires other high schoolers to follow their passions.

“#Trust the Process. Sometimes it feels like you’re doing everything right, but you’re not making progress,” Kevin said. “Maybe you’re studying hard but you don’t see any changes in your grade. Trusting the process is about consistency, focusing on breaking goals down into smaller, more achievable steps, rather than one big goal that you’re going to reach.”

Though more than anything, Kevin wants his peers to remember Principal Poetzinger’s speech about the importance of self-acceptance, that the person you see in the mirror is who you are, and completely in your own control.