19th Annual Scholarship Program Honors 25 High School Seniors

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, founder and chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd), and former First Lady of Florida Columba Bush celebrated the 2018 Arts for Life! scholarship winners during a luncheon and award ceremony hosted at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. Mrs. Bush, a passionate advocate for the arts and arts education, established Arts for Life! in 1999 to recognize the creativity and artistic talents of Florida’s high school students. In the program’s 19 years, over $525,000 in scholarships have been awarded to more than 450 talented students in recognition of their achievement in the arts.

“Once again, I am awed by the remarkable talent and creativity expressed by Florida’s young performers and artists. They are indeed gifted students and rising stars,” said Mrs. Bush. “I hope these scholarships encourage and inspire this year’s Arts for Life! winners as they pursue their dreams and share an artistic passion with their communities, our state and the world.”

Arts for Life! annually awards cash scholarships to 25 of Florida’s graduating high school seniors who excel in the arts. The 2018 winners were selected from more than 650 outstanding applicants from 45 counties across Florida. Students in public, magnet, charter, virtual and private schools, as well as home education programs, vied for the prestigious award. This year’s scholarship winners were selected by a committee of respected experts in one of the scholarship’s five disciplines of creative writing, dance, drama, music or visual art.

Jade Zaroff, a 2013 Arts for Life! scholarship winner and founder and president of Entertainment for Change, served as the event’s emcee. Prior to the luncheon, students participated in the annual Arts for Life! Artist Symposium, a panel discussion of professionals representing several arts disciplines and offering guidance and advice based on their experiences. Winners in attendance also performed or displayed their art in the discipline for which they were awarded.

The 2018 Arts for Life! scholarship winners are:

Creative Writing

• Danelle Antelo – Miami Arts Charter School, Miami-Dade County
• Amanda Bello – Coral Reef Senior High School, Miami-Dade County
• Hannah Larson – Harrison School for the Arts, Polk County
• Rachel Pursley – Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Duval County
• Emma Roehrig – Charlotte High School, Charlotte County

Dance

• Ana Moss – Manatee School for the Arts, Manatee County

Drama

• Margaret Farrell – New World School of the Arts, Miami-Dade County
• Blake Smallen – Alonso High School, Hillsborough County
• John Zamborsky – Spruce Creek High School, Volusia County

Music

• Nicholas Abrahams – A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Palm Beach County
• Alicia Hou – Stanton College Preparatory School, Duval County
• Claire Tseng – F.W. Buchholz High School, Alachua County
• Cameren Williams – A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Palm Beach County

Visual Art

• Cici McMonigle – Harrison School for the Arts, Polk County
• Dillon Menzies – New World School of the Arts, Miami-Dade County
• Alexander Montalvan – Design & Architecture Senior High, Miami-Dade County
• Carolyn Muldowney – Spruce Creek High School, Volusia County
• Carlos Ochoa – Design & Architecture Senior High, Miami-Dade County
• Kate Ortega – New World School of the Arts, Miami-Dade County
• Frederick Rapp – Design & Architecture Senior High, Miami-Dade County
• Henry Rojas – New World School of the Arts, Miami-Dade County
• Michelle Schoen – Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Duval County
• Maxwell Schreiber – New World School of the Arts, Miami-Dade County
• Brianna Seaberg – A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Palm Beach County
• Carolina Zuniga – Design & Architecture Senior High, Miami-Dade County

View samples of these talented artists’ work at ArtsforLifeAward.org.

The Foundation for Excellence in Education would also like to thank the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Kyra Solutions and Publix Super Markets Charities for their continued support of Arts for Life!