Art takes many different forms, yet each has one thing in common: its power to make an impact. At Northwood, across different disciplines, student artists reflect on what they believe is their most impactful piece aligned to one of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and the message they hope resonates with their audiences.
Jacob Oh (10): PSA On Caffeine (U.N. SDG 3: Good Health and Well Being)
Sophomore Jacob Oh joined NTV this school year and the first film he directed was a public service announcement on caffeine. Oh’s intent was to emphasize the harmful effects that excessive caffeine consumption can have on the human body, using the slogan “Sleep is the Real Energy.”
The film starts with a scene awash in rainbow lights and pounding music, showing the deceptively positive benefits of caffeine, as the main character enjoys an energy boost. However, in the second scene, the main character nearly gets into a car crash. According to Oh, this is a harsh reminder that while caffeine may seem fine at first, the consequences can quickly escalate. It concluded with a third shot of the character ultimately learning from her mistakes and prioritizing her sleep.
“We tried to show how we should really care for ourselves more,” Oh said. “It’s your body, you’re going to live with it for the next 70-80 years, so take care of it better.”
Oh’s PSA echoes the goals of the ongoing “Make a PSA” campaign, an ongoing project in collaboration with the U.N. Foundation and the Hollywood Health & Society program to raise awareness of the SDGs. They target television, film and streaming services to reach mass audiences.
Mia Chun (11): Trash with a Splash (U.N. SDG 13: Climate Action)
After learning about ocean pollution from her Hawaiian-born father, junior Mia Chun created “Trash with a Splash”: a digital art piece meant to spread awareness about pollution’s effect on biodiversity. Chun drew many different animals, including sea turtles, stingrays, swordfish and seals, surrounded by trash in the ocean. She added plastic pieces resembling jellyfish, which the animals mistake for food. This was inspired by a museum exhibit that displayed plastic bags in the water. According to Chun, she was shocked at how realistic the jellyfish looked and hoped her art would help others recognize the severity of pollution in a similar way.
“I wanted to get across that people shouldn’t use simplified things like plastic waste,” Chun said. “Easy things always come with a price.”
Climate-change issues highlighted in Chun’s artwork are currently being combated by the Paris Agreement, the 2015 treaty aimed at limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels. Since its entry, nations have already sparked low-carbon solutions and new markets.
Currently, the U.S. is no longer part of the treaty after President Donald Trump withdrew in 2025.
Emily Hill (12): Contemporary to “Piano Man” by Billy Joel (U.N. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities)
For this year’s Fallout show, Dance Theater co-captain senior Emily Hill choreographed a contemporary dance incorporating ballet set to “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. Hill wanted to ensure that her dance highlighted all 13 of her dancers’ talents because she says that it’s common to see just one performer being spotlighted.
According to Hill, while her dance involved more people, she was able to split everyone into smaller groups, each of which performed part of the dance alone on stage. Hill says she strategically planned the flow in hopes of creating a pleasing visual of dancers moving on and off stage.
“In my dance, I tried to make sure every person had a moment, a solo, like a little shout out for themselves,” Hill said. “I feel like we should create that baseline of equality and try to highlight every single dancer.”
Similar to Hill’s effort to dismantle inequalities, the U.N. encourages countries to invest in more health, education, social protection and decent jobs for immigrants and other vulnerable communities, to promote inclusive socioeconomic growth.
Through their work, Northwood’s student artists urge their audiences to become more educated and take action on critical global issues.
