In this month’s “Artist Spotlight,” the undiscovered prowess of students will be explored in Loyola’s community by highlighting select artists across a range of creative disciplines and their stories. October’s artists, Bradley Wong ‘26 and Luke Ondrey ‘25, are among the many students who pursue a creative interest at Loyola and have both the skill and drive that allow them to convey powerful messages and emotion in their work.
Bradley Wong is a Loyola junior who excels in both the visual and performing arts, as seen in his involvement in AP 2D Art and the Hannon Theatre Company. Wong exhibits every characteristic of a talented young actor and utilizes every second of his stage time with great effort and purpose.
With his lively personality, Wong roots his love of acting in his natural emotive attitude, stating that he “loves to send messages of encouragement and confidence to audiences” via his performances, playing his characters as vibrant and dynamic as possible. Wong has been acting and involved in theater for a long time and has been a part of the Hannon Theatre Company, Loyola’s very own theatre troupe, since freshman year. With the upcoming yearly holiday play, “A Christmas Carol,” Wong is prepared to take on a lead role as Bob Cratchit, Ebeneezer Scrooge’s overworked, underpaid store clerk.
When asked about the biggest influence on his acting, Wong stated, “As an actor, I love the energy and presence that someone like Jeremy Jordan or Lin Manuel Miranda brings to the stage.” Additionally, Wong is taking AP 2D Art, where his creative interests are manifested through visual mediums in contrast to his acting work. Wong explores various influences in his AP portfolio, with designs and illustrations reminiscent of the cartoons of his childhood.
Luke Ondrey ‘25 is another equally artistic student, thoroughly involved in Loyola’s Music Department. Ondrey is in four different ensembles on campus alone, playing drums for the Loyola Jazz Band, Mighty Roar, Orchestra, and Liturgy Band, in addition to playing in a volunteer jazz band as a form of music therapy in old folks’ homes.
Ondrey puts massive amounts of time and effort into constantly progressing and evolving as a musician, stating that he “practices for multiple hours every night.” While his musical tastes are diverse, Ondrey loves to play jazz especially, his biggest influence being the contemporary jazz and R&B musician Yusef Dayes.
Ondrey stated he hopes to continue pursuing the arts after graduation: “As a musician, I plan on either minoring or double majoring in performance in college, continuing to better my skills.”
