(Photo by Maria Flores/NWSA)
With 21 Presidential Scholars in the Arts since 1989, and 89 YoungArts Finalists/ 310 YoungArts Winners since 2002, New World School of the Arts students continue to leave their artistic mark in the community.
Among the 171 YoungArts Finalists selected this year are seven NWSA students, joining the ranks as in their respective artistic fields. In addition, NWSA students received three YoungArts honorable mentions and seven Merit Awards for a grand total 17 awards.
NWSA 2019 YoungArts finalists include: Jamaii Melvin, Dance; Shoshana Sklar, Dance; Jack Kessler, Music – Viola; Danielle Llevada, Theater; Cassandra Bozman, Visual Arts; Sergie Espinales, Visual Arts, and Carolina Robles, Visual Arts.
According to the National YoungArts Foundation website, all winners are eligible to participate in YoungArts’ regional programs, including YoungArts Miami, YoungArts Los Angeles and YoungArts New York, and will join a professional network of distinguished artists. This year’s finalists have the opportunity to participate in the 37th annual National YoungArts Week in Miami. Finalists also are eligible for nomination to the White House-appointed Commission on Presidential Scholars.
As the sole nominating agency, YoungArts selects 60 finalists each year, 20 of whom are selected to become U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, one of the highest honors for a graduating high school senior.
NWSA 2019 YoungArts Honorable Mentions include: Kaylan Hernandez, Music – Voice/Classical/Soprano; Faith Duncombe, Theater; Allison Murphy, Theater. NWSA 2019 YoungArts Merits include: Stéphane Clément, Music – Jazz/Trumpet; Julian Gonzalez, Music – Jazz/Saxophone/Tenor; Ian Munoz, Music – Jazz/Saxophone/Alto; Claudio Silva, Music – Jazz/Percussion; Adam Stein, Music – Jazz/Saxophone/Alto, and Nicolaus Gelin, Music – Jazz/Trumpet.
YoungArts was established in 1981 to identify emerging artists and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development, and to raise the appreciation for and support of the arts in American society.
Each year since its inception in 1981, YoungArts, based in Miami and founded by Lin and Ted Arison of Carnival Cruises, selects more than 120 High School seniors from a pool of thousands of candidates nationwide and offers them the opportunity to present their artistic talents and achievements in Miami. These fortunate few also receive cash awards of $100 to $10,000 per student, or scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 annually for four years to further enhance their artistic education. The objective of this institution is to identify talented arts students in their senior year in high school.
Information about New World School of the Arts is available at 305-237-3135 or http://nwsa.mdc.edu/.
