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IndependentsJul 11, 2018
WJA Announces 2018 Scholarship and Grant Winners
The Women’s Jewelry Association will award $65,500 total to 45 women in the upcoming year.
Forty-five women will receive a scholarship or grant from the Women’s Jewelry Association in the upcoming year. Four of them are (from left to right): Christina Miller with the $5,000 Carelle-WJA Grant, Lisa West with the $5,000 Female Veteran Scholarship, Magan Byron with the $5,000 Gabriel Love Foundation Scholarship and Julie Martin with the $5,000 Cindy Edelstein Jewelry Design Scholarship.
New York--The Women’s Jewelry Association announced it will award a total of $65,500 in grants and scholarships for the 2018-2019 program year.
The funds have been awarded to 45 women, 12 of whom are students in accredited programs focused on jewelry making and design.
The recipients are as follows.
--The Carelle-WJA Grant Winner ($5,000): Christina Miller
Miller is an independent sustainable jewelry consultant, providing strategy, guidance and impact measurement to help jewelers make lives better around the world. She also is the co-founder and former executive director of Ethical Metalsmiths and served as an assistant professor of jewelry and metalsmithing at Millersville University in Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2010.
--The Female Veteran Scholarship ($5,000): Lisa West, Gemological Institute of America
West is a freelance CAD jewelry designer in San Diego. A disabled veteran of the United States Air Force, she is a graduate of the GIA’s Graduate Jeweler and Jewelry Design and Technology programs. She currently is working with a start-up jewelry company creating 3-D models for their products.
--The Cindy Edelstein Jewelry Design Scholarship ($5,000): Julie Martin, San Diego State University
After earning her BA in Applied Design in Jewelry and Metalsmithing at San Diego State University, Martin began a three-year apprenticeship with a master jeweler in San Diego who now is part of her current team. Then she started a fashion jewelry company and a decade later founded Scout Mandolin, which makes custom one-of-a-kind engagement rings, wedding bands and fine jewelry.
--The Gabriel Love Foundation Scholarship ($5,000): Magan Byron, GIA
Byron earned her BFA in Jewelry and Metalworking from the University of Georgia. She currently is enrolled in Gem Identification at the GIA, the last course needed for her to complete her Graduate Gemologist degree. She lives in Athens, Georgia, where she works as the operations director at T.K. Anderson Designs.
Student scholarships also were awarded to the following.
--The June Herman Designer/Creator Scholarship Award ($7,000): Hsinyu Chu, GIA
--Designer/Creator Scholarship Award ($5,000): Hannah Hash, GIA
--Designer/Creator Scholarship Award ($3,000): Ekaterina Korzh, University of Iowa
--Designer/Creator Scholarship Award ($2,000): Zihan Yang, Savannah College of Art & Design
--The Peggy Kirby Scholarship Award ($5,000): Sidnee Tyree, Kendall College of Art and Design
--Non-Designer Scholarship ($3,000): Jacqueline Lapuck, GIA
--Non-Designer Scholarship ($1,000): Natalie Tjaden, University of Tennessee
--$1,000: Madison Desmond, GIA
--$1,000: Sarah Andrie, GIA
--$1,000: Jodi Webster, University of Kansas
The funds have been awarded to 45 women, 12 of whom are students in accredited programs focused on jewelry making and design.
The recipients are as follows.
--The Carelle-WJA Grant Winner ($5,000): Christina Miller
Miller is an independent sustainable jewelry consultant, providing strategy, guidance and impact measurement to help jewelers make lives better around the world. She also is the co-founder and former executive director of Ethical Metalsmiths and served as an assistant professor of jewelry and metalsmithing at Millersville University in Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2010.
--The Female Veteran Scholarship ($5,000): Lisa West, Gemological Institute of America
West is a freelance CAD jewelry designer in San Diego. A disabled veteran of the United States Air Force, she is a graduate of the GIA’s Graduate Jeweler and Jewelry Design and Technology programs. She currently is working with a start-up jewelry company creating 3-D models for their products.
--The Cindy Edelstein Jewelry Design Scholarship ($5,000): Julie Martin, San Diego State University
After earning her BA in Applied Design in Jewelry and Metalsmithing at San Diego State University, Martin began a three-year apprenticeship with a master jeweler in San Diego who now is part of her current team. Then she started a fashion jewelry company and a decade later founded Scout Mandolin, which makes custom one-of-a-kind engagement rings, wedding bands and fine jewelry.
--The Gabriel Love Foundation Scholarship ($5,000): Magan Byron, GIA
Byron earned her BFA in Jewelry and Metalworking from the University of Georgia. She currently is enrolled in Gem Identification at the GIA, the last course needed for her to complete her Graduate Gemologist degree. She lives in Athens, Georgia, where she works as the operations director at T.K. Anderson Designs.
Student scholarships also were awarded to the following.
--The June Herman Designer/Creator Scholarship Award ($7,000): Hsinyu Chu, GIA
--Designer/Creator Scholarship Award ($5,000): Hannah Hash, GIA
--Designer/Creator Scholarship Award ($3,000): Ekaterina Korzh, University of Iowa
--Designer/Creator Scholarship Award ($2,000): Zihan Yang, Savannah College of Art & Design
--The Peggy Kirby Scholarship Award ($5,000): Sidnee Tyree, Kendall College of Art and Design
--Non-Designer Scholarship ($3,000): Jacqueline Lapuck, GIA
--Non-Designer Scholarship ($1,000): Natalie Tjaden, University of Tennessee
--$1,000: Madison Desmond, GIA
--$1,000: Sarah Andrie, GIA
--$1,000: Jodi Webster, University of Kansas
Meanwhile, member grants were awarded as follows.
--Austin: Mousumi Shaw
--Boston: Lori Magno, Siran Varadian
--Chicago: Arica DeArcos, Kelly Jacobson, Susanne Siegel, Stephanie Wishnoff
--Colorado: Julia Mancarella
--Dallas: Linda Friedel, Margueriette Hutchison
--Lafayette: Mindi Courville
--Los Angeles: Harvinder Keila, Tania Silpanone
--Northern California: Deborah Durant, Brooke Miller, Rhoma Young
--NY Metro: Maricha Genovese, Deborah Halperin, Delphine Leymarie
--Ohio/Kentucky: Dawn Grady, Andrea Koenig
--Providence: Marilyn Salvatore
--Salt Lake City: Liz Deane
--San Diego: Marreena Appleton, Jennifer DeMoro, Christine Lopez, Peggy Tsiamis
--Seattle: Andrea Price, Danielle Saudino
--Twin Cities: Julie Burkhart-Haid, Laura McDonald
--Charlotte Preston "Gets it Done" Grant: Nancy Hudson
Funds for the scholarships and grants are raised through the annual Awards for Excellence Gala, individual member donations and sponsorships.
“It is important that WJA encourages and continues to support the professional growth and educational endeavors of women in the jewelry and watch industries,” WJA board President Jenny Luker said. “The recipients are all extraordinary and exceptional at what they do. We are excited to see what new opportunities they will bring to our industry.”
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