By Caroline Quinn ’19

A lot of people know the kid who does magic around the West Essex halls, but not everyone knows who he actually is. Sophomore Jordan Wong is the man behind the magic, and he never fails to blow people’s minds. His tricks range from simple to over the top, and he has performed them for students and teachers of all grades leaving them in awe and earning himself the reputation of the high school’s very own magician.

Wong has been doing magic for four years. He learned his tricks from books and DVDs, along with learning from different people that he has met. He has also taught himself and created tricks of his own.

Wong’s favorite trick is called “Here Then There.”

“It’s a card trick where I place your chosen card into your hand, and it suddenly appears in my hand, which is above your hand,” Wong said.
Another standout trick is one he performed recently on a group of seniors. Wong asked someone to pick him up and to make sure everyone could see his legs were fully off the ground. After they put him down, he told them to once again pick him up, but this time they would not be able to.

“I looked him in the eye just for a second, and then I told him, ‘OK, you can pick me up.’ With all his strength, he tried to pick me up, but my legs and feet just stayed on the ground,” Wong said.

Wong performs in the hallways between classes, at lunch and anytime he can for anyone who is willing to participate. He has gathered crowds, and when he performs a trick every single person is engaged and left feeling like they were just at a show.

“When I see him I’m like, ‘Woah, that was cool! How did you do that?’” sophomore Billy Garofalo said. “He will come up to me in the hallway when I’m least expecting it and just do something completely insane.”

“It’s crazy what he can do,” freshman Alexa Devlin said. “I really don’t understand anything about his magic. All I know is that it gets me every time.”

Even teachers are amazed at what he can do.

“He has a lot of talent and his tricks are very impressive,” teacher’s aid Ms. Buonomo said.

Wong hopes that he can eventually make a career out of his magic. It is something he has wanted for as long as he can remember and something that he is willing to work toward. Just like athletics, academics or music, magic is a skill that requires practice and concentration and can fulfill people’s dreams—just like Wong himself.

“If I could, I would love to travel all over the world,” Wong said. “And by doing magic, I can achieve my goal.”