Meet Yuna Lee: Serving, Stewarding, and Leading Through Music
At the VMA Foundation, our work is guided by three pillars: Serve, Steward, and Lead. We are proud to see these values come to life through young musicians like Yuna Lee.
Yuna is an elementary school student at Florida Ruffin Ridley School in Brookline, Massachusetts, and a talented flutist who is already discovering how music can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. This summer, she performed as part of the One Wingate Way and North Hill Summer Concert Series in Needham, Massachusetts, sharing her music with residents and helping bring joy to the community.
Through her outreach performances and her commitment to meeting the VMA's annual stewardship fundraising goal, Yuna has already earned the role of Officer within the VMA Junior Program.
But Yuna is just getting started.
Her goal is to one day become a VMA State Senator, where she hopes to inspire other young people to give back to their communities. That aspiration reflects exactly why the VMA Foundation has opened its doors to elementary and middle school students.
We believe that the journey toward service and leadership should not have to wait until high school.
For young children, words like outreach, service, and community engagement can sometimes feel abstract. But the feeling of making someone smile is universal. A child may not fully understand the terminology of community service, but they understand what it feels like when someone listens to their music, applauds their performance, or tells them that their playing brightened their day.
That experience can be the beginning of something much bigger.
When young musicians like Yuna perform for others, they begin to understand that music is not only something to practice, perfect, or perform on a stage. It can also be a way to connect with people, show kindness, and contribute to a community.
Yuna's journey already reflects all three pillars of the VMA Foundation:
Serve by sharing her music with members of the community.
Steward by helping support the mission through fundraising and demonstrating responsibility for the work we do together.
Lead by setting her sights on becoming a VMA State Senator and inspiring others to discover the importance of giving back.
Yuna is a wonderful example of why we believe elementary and middle school students deserve opportunities to explore service, stewardship, and leadership. These early experiences can help young people discover not only the impact they can have through their music, but also the kind of compassionate leaders they can become.
I look forward to watching Yuna continue to develop—not only as a flutist and musician, but as a thoughtful, compassionate leader within the VMA community.
Congratulations, Yuna, on everything you have accomplished so far. We can't wait to see where your journey takes you next.
