Whether it’s in the classroom, hallway or cafeteria, Jacob Bui (12) always knows how to bring excitement to a crowd. Everywhere he goes Bui carries a deck of cards with him, always prepared to shock and amaze students.

Bui is wrapping up his time at OHS, he will be graduating at the end of this year. During his four years in the building he has become well known for his talent with magic.

“No matter the circumstances,” said OHS student Nick Noonan (12). “he knows how to keep to keep things interesting.”    

Bui first sparked his interest for magic back in middle school after watching a video that explained a coin trick. This developed into his mastery of card tricks, but not without time and lots of practice. Before bringing a trick to the public, Bui takes the time to rehearse his performance at home privately.

“It’s practicing what you’re going to say,” Bui said. “the presentation is a lot more important than the actual trick.”    

Personally, Bui’s favorite trick is the coughing up cards, where playing cards seem to randomly appear out of his mouth.

“It gets the best reactions,” Bui said. “nobody’s ever expecting that.”

Bui’s talents don’t just stop at magic-he is also a musician capable of playing the piano and guitar. If he gets bored, he could solve a Rubik’s Cube in under two minutes. Just this spring he accomplished his first front flip on flat ground. Bui has proven himself to be a “jack of all trades”.

“I just wanted to entertain people.” Bui said.

For Bui magic is just a hobby. He has no intentions of chasing magic as a career path, but rather plans to continue to perform tricks for his own enjoyment.

“Not something I plan to do full time,” Bui said. “It’s just for fun.