Ashley Mo

“It’s important to embrace diverse perspectives and the way that people approach life, and appreciate that that’s what makes life very special. Even though you refer to yourself as a teacher, you’re not really a teacher because you’re still learning, trying to adapt to [students’] techniques and their abilities and how they want the piece to sound,” senior Mindy Truong said.

At Chicago O’Hare International Airport, sound covers every corner. Amidst the rolling suitcases and loudspeaker voices, a melody breaks through the noise. Sitting at a public piano tucked beside a gate, senior Mindy Truong lets her fingers glide across the keys seamlessly, letting notes of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 drift through the air. She doesn’t notice the crowd forming around her of travelers, workers and strangers, all pausing mid-step despite their busy schedules.

“There was a bartender or some guy working there, and he was like, ‘I’ve worked here for 20 years, and you’re the greatest performer I’ve heard in so long,’” Mindy said. “Music is universal, and it really connects people, even when I wasn’t intentionally trying to do that. I was just trying to play for myself, but it was really cool to see how everyone came together to listen.”

That moment during a Chicago orchestra trip in her junior year captures what Mindy appreciates most about music: the ability to make people stop and feel something, even for a second.

Mindy’s passion for piano began at the age of five, but at that time practicing felt more like a chore than what she loved. But after memorizing her first full piece, she found herself lost in the fluid motion of her fingers, muscle memory allowing the notes to flow naturally. Over the years, piano evolved into a place where she could express emotion, curiosity and creativity all at once.

“Unlike other visual crafts that I like to do, piano is not something physical that I can hold,” Mindy said. “Music is not physical, and that makes it special because every performance is different. That’s what really got me to love the instrument and realize how beautiful it is, that it isn’t a physical craft and it’s fleeting.”

More than just playing on her own, Mindy has adapted to performing with different groups of people, whether through Harker’s orchestra or outside chamber music groups. She remembers her first chamber music experience fondly, citing her excitement as she heard all the instruments, from the cellos to the violins, entering the piece. Instrumental music teacher Jaco Wong commends Mindy’s adjustment through the years. 

“When she first came in, she was already a very accomplished soloist,” Wong said. “One thing she learned pretty quickly was that it’s a different experience working with an ensemble. She really valued the experience of how to work with other people because no matter what your skill level is, you have to come together as a team. She grew a lot in that aspect, and she has made a lot of friends through music.”

From perfecting group works to individual competition pieces throughout the year, Mindy dedicates much of her time to her craft. While mastery takes an extensive amount of time, she finds it important to connect with those around her through meaningful ways outside of piano.

“She prioritizes her friendships a lot,” close friend senior Aanya Shah said. “The amount of time and care she puts into piano is very impressive, but she simultaneously still is able to always be there for her friends. She does everything at such a high level while balancing everything else and still is a very present and fun person.”

Close friend Jason Li (‘25) first met Mindy first last year in Honors Analytical Chemistry class and cites that her determination, both in piano and in her academic life, is one of her defining characteristics.

“She likes to be active and feel the sense of doing something, working toward something,” Jason said. “She is constantly in motion, and to me that’s very inspirational. She’s a very brilliant person with a strong work ethic, and I know that she will be successful wherever she goes.”

However, Mindy’s creativity doesn’t stop with sound, further extending to arts and crafts. Pursuing crocheting, drawing and most recently sculpting clay flowers like hydrangeas and lilies, the hands-on aspect of these activities provides a sense of calmness for her. Last year, upon meeting a small business owner in Hawaii who made clay flowers by hand, she became engrossed in the hobby and now gifts her flowers to friends and teachers.

Both piano and crafting reflect her process-oriented mindset. In her art, whether it’s music or crafting, Mindy finds meaning in the act of making. By building something piece by piece, she finds that she can focus on the journey, not solely the final result.

“When I’m working on bigger flowers, I build up petals and then color them, and then I start making installments and the stems,” Mindy said. “It’s a very day-by-day process. I get to pay so much attention to the detail of the anatomy of the flower and match it so it’s realistic.”

As much as she creates, Mindy also gives back to the community that shaped her, hoping to inspire the younger generation of pianists. She teaches piano to younger students, finding joy in the unique ways they interpret their music. Hoping to leave behind a legacy of understanding, Mindy emphasizes that everyone is both a learner and a listener at the end of the day.

“It’s important to embrace diverse perspectives and the way people approach life, and appreciate that that’s what makes life very special,” Mindy said. “Even though you refer to yourself as a teacher, you’re not really a teacher because you’re still learning, trying to adapt to students’ techniques and their abilities and how they want the piece to sound.”