Over the summer, dozens of students were granted scholarships to attend summer art and writing programs through the Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarship program. Students who received recognition in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were eligible to apply for the program, and the Scholastic Awards partnered with pre-college programs, universities, writing institutes, studios, and creative workshops to give our students the summer of a lifetime.

We recently caught up with six students who attended summer programs through the Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarship program to see how their experiences went.

Grant Menough attended the Summer Art Residency at The University of Iowa’s Belin-Blank Center

“I met a lot of like-minded people, learned different mediums, and experienced college life for three weeks. The Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarship opportunity made my summer much better. I had an unforgettable experience. My summer art residency at the University of Iowa would not have been possible without a Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarship.”

Aniela Cohig attended The Putney School

“I learned a ton about myself as a writer, and also about how to break away from myself and write from another voice. I was able to workshop my writing and connect with like-minded people who gave me extremely helpful feedback on my work which allowed me to further improve. Thank you so, so, much for giving me and so many others the opportunity to experience something like this. I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude in mere words.”

Rhew Deigl attended the Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop

Through his summer program experience, Rhew gained “[p]erspective, most importantly, and perhaps a sense of community within the “writer-types.” And of course myriad irreplaceable experiences in writing.”

Isabel Espinoza attended the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio

“I met so many new people and created so many new friends. I learned not just ways to read into literature and how to improve my writing, but just how important my work is no matter how many people in life will tell me that it isn’t important. Thanks to you, I have an even greater motivation to pursue writing as a career.”

Alexander Schulz attended the Juniper Institute for Young Writers

“I made a lot of friends, was exposed to a college like atmosphere for the first time, met like-minded people, and got to participate in my first writing workshop. Thank you so much for giving me and people like me the opportunity to have such an amazing experience. Thanks to the Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarship program I had the best week of my life.”

Lauren Moore attended the Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop

“Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop was my first writing intensive ever, and it was phenomenal. I have never written so much in my life. To be ready for Kenyon, I brought two 100-page college-ruled notebooks, thinking that I would only use only half of one by the end of my two weeks. I was four days into the workshop when I knew I was clearly mistaken, reaching my projected limit with more than half of the camp to go. At the end, I wrote my way completely out of my first journal and twenty pages into my second.

“Not only did I gain more knowledge pertaining to honing in my writing craft, but I also got to meet other talented young writers who were very passionate about literature (something I am definitely not used to). Everyone I met at Kenyon was so diverse and were interested in a mass of different topics; however, we all bonded over our love for writing. The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop has influenced me to write even more, whether it’s a short story, a poem, or just a personal reflection.

“I thank Kenyon for this experience, the the Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarship program partners for this opportunity, and all of the participants of the Kenyon Young Writers Workshop for inspiring me to be a better writer, reader, and friend.

“Thank you for allowing me to participate in the life-altering experience. I thoroughly enjoyed everything Kenyon had to offer.”

You could also have an amazing summer filled with creativity! To apply for a Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarship next year, you must first be recognized by the 2019 Scholastic Awards. Submissions open on September 12, 2018!