Deciding to pursue an education in art, specifically Illustration, was not the simplest choice. Artistry has been an integral part of me, my interests, and my personality since early childhood--I can remember when I first grew associated with the "colored-pencil & stencils" table in preschool--and yet it took me years to decide to elevate my hobby into the career sphere. My middle school and high school years consisted of art club, independent studies, and an intensive devotion to college-reddiness sites. GPAs, SATs, ACTs, tuition, tax information... numbers entered into digital algorithms time and time again to tell me how I compared to schools' target students. I would try to learn best how to develop an educational and artistic resume that would place me in the hotseat for the country's best art schools. I could not afford private lessons, so I learned the ins and outs of every medium I could get my hands on: charcoal, chalk, acrylic, watercolors, printmaking. This two-dimensional love bled over into theatrical technology and digital programs, where I later became president of my school's Theatre Tech club organizing the development of productions for the student body and independent hires alike. In the summer before my sophomore year of high school, I was given the opportunity to experience the Savannah College of Art and Design's (SCAD) Summer Seminars program. During this week-long program, I would go on to take two classes of my choosing, as well as stay in the student dorms with three other students. This week allowed me to explore SCAD's educational facilities, museums, major-specific classes, dormitories, and the nearby city center of Savannah, Georgia. Truly, the experience was inspiring. I was able to make friends whoshared similar passions to me, as well as gain confidence in my photography and acrylic painting abilities. I was able to see that having a career in art was a real possibility, and that there is a genuine clientele looking for work such as my own. Coming home afterwards solidified my intense desire to return to SCAD for further art education. SCAD has an exceptional range of In the fall of last year, I gained the news that after years of developing my portfolio and meeting with the admissions department, I had been accepted to SCAD for the fall of 2022. My task now is to figure out how to make that happen by applying for scholarships, grants, and art competitions, as well as selling my artwork by means of commission. Unfortunately, the reality of cost does not care how hard you work, just how much you are willing to pay. My parents, who are incredibly supportive, were amazed by the cost of art school as they did not intend to pay for much more than my room and board costs, let alone nearly fourty-thousand in tuition. If this scholarship were to be awarded to me, it would provide a significant amount of relief to my family as we work to pay for college. I currently will need to pay approximately $16,105 in tuition for the 2022-23 schoolyear in order to attend SCAD. This award will decrease that amount to $14,105. This award would positively impact both my education, and the time I devote towards developing and producing art pieces. Between school, career development, and scholarship searching, I have little time to spend on personal projects for the sake of my own enjoyment. I tend to find that my strongest pieces are the ones I enjoy creating, without obligation. Thank you for allowing me entry to this scholarship award, and I look forward to hearing about the results.

Hello! My name is Marley Canada, and I am a current high school senior at DeLand High School. I will graduate in May and will start classes at the Savannah College of Art and Design in the Fall of 2022. I plan to major in Illustration and am currently on the search for scholarships to support my creative pursuits. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship as I tell you more about myself, and I hope to honor both you and your son Devin. Creating is a passion that I very clearly remember investing in years ago. As a young child, I'd spend time crafting and scrapbooking with my great-aunt, and in pre-school, I'd hide out in the corner with colored pencils and horse-shaped stencils during playtime. In kindergarten, I remember drawing horses and giving one to each teacher on the last day of classes. Eventually, the horse phase dried up, but thankfully the obsession with drawing stayed. When I was doing schoolwork in elementary, I was struggling to illustrate with a mouse and MSPaint on the family computer. In middle school, I spent my three years of afterschool Tuesdays in the art club, in which we built a giant giraffe made of tape, a robot of cardboard, and at one point, cleaned the bones of an alligator all in the name of art. All the same, I've enjoyed my four years of art at my high school and local community college. Acrylics, crayons, watercolors, pastels, woodburning... I've attempted to explore everything that I can, and with any luck, I don't anticipate halting my education on these materials. Art is an integral piece of any society, as it communicates culture, history, and emotion spectacularly well. Stroke techniques, color use, and the subject matter of a piece tell a story. An artist from a time period of war may choose dark colors, long brush strokes, and an upsetting subject. More often than not, those elements can relay what the artist was experiencing both physically and mentally to viewers. From art, we've been able to deduce religious practices from societies whose written history was destroyed, and we are still investigating the meanings behind many works under the names of masters. As a society, we learn amazing things from art. Personally, I hope to tell stories through my work and communicate my emotions that I cannot otherwise conceptualize. Through artwork, I have been able to exorcise feelings of discontent as well as share my joys with others. I am a member of the LGBT community and know very well how awful it is to feel unhappy with both yourself and the world we live in, but art has always been able to pull me from a place of deep sadness and shame, just as much as it has been able to prolong my happiness. For that, I am eternally grateful. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing updates about this scholarship. May Devin's name go on to share the importance of art with the world through students similar to him.

As a student attending public high school, I am well-versed in the prevalence of substance abuse among minors. Additionally, I foster an interest in the connection between Autism, ADHD, and the occurrence of Substance Use Disorders within these demographics. I have written school papers on the topic, and have spoken to others about their experiences in this intersection of self-medication. One solution I see in the future for decreasing Substance Use Disorder is through the widespread invocation of harm-reduction tactics. Drugs are not going to disappear, and human beings will likely never exist in an environment where drug usage affects zero percent of the population. Usage distracts from stress and emotional hardships that users are experiencing in their life, and because we exist in a society that creates stress, we exist in a society that creates drug usage. It is important that community members know to safely administer and test their drugs, as sobriety isn't the ultimate necessity. By implementing harm-reduction tactics, we can decrease the number of overdoses and better serve affected community members. Throughout my life, I hope to better communicate the need for increased confidential outreach for minors and young adults affected by drug use. Oftentimes, kids will not communicate that they are using or abusing substances to an authority figure until it is too late due to fears of being in trouble. Youth in crisis should not be punished for being emotionally vulnerable, and I hope to make that clear in my future work within my community. Personally, I see myself working through my art as a way to educate the world on Substance Use Disorder. I incorporate my own experiences with drugs and hardships into my work and personally discuss the importance of drug abuse reduction in my personal life. I hope to volunteer more closely with harm-reduction facilities in my future. Thank you for considering me as a recipient of your scholarship donation.

When she's not busy jumping off the walls at 3 in the morning, Jasmine can be found doing her second favorite thing: sleepily sunbathing on her owner's bed. Very cute, though not fond of cuddles, Jasmine is a joy to have in this family of five. We all love her very much!

As I've never been a wordsmith with a pen, I had to find a way to communicate my ideas to others. Traditional and digital art forms have been able to support me and my growth in a way that words never quite have. Whether by means of a pencil, a drop of paint, or the scribble of a pastel, art has been with me since before I can remember. Today, I write to you as a request to support me, as I wish to carry my love of painting and illustration into a career setting and seek an education to do so. I dream of one day being able to create freely, and for the enjoyment and benefit of myself as well as others. I wish to bring joy with pieces that may have pulled me out of darkness within my own life. In the Fall of 2022, I hope to attend an art school and to receive the opportunity to network with other artists the way that many have before me, and that we may impact each other so significantly as to imprint on the works of each other. Growing up, I dealt with significant illnesses, and some pieces of my artwork discuss deeper themes of the balance between life and death. Through my art, I wish to communicate my own struggles with others who had similar experiences. As well, I am the first in my family to seek a traditional and streamlined university experience. I am working largely independently to research my educational path. Thank you, and I appreciate your consideration of me and my work for this scholarship.

I've always been deeply independent, from childhood to now, young-adulthood. At my core, I'm an artist: an craftsman independent from collaboration outside of my own emotional journey. I've sought to improve my own ability to build myself up and increase my own skill set. Independence, as I see it, is not above making connections with other people. I indulge in conversation and comfort, but I've learned over time what it means to rely on yourself to keep yourself headed in the right direction. Wherever life takes you, it's important to be able to problem-solve and adapt your own knowledge to your situation. I've conducted teams of peers towards a common goal, I've found family in friendships, but most importantly, I've found the peace of independence that is within myself. Independence brings me the most comfort. My goal is to operate as a freelance artist when I've finished college, and work alone with my thoughts and inspirations to create works that I'm proud of. To me, my independence is my strength.