Thea Foundation is excited to announce the winners of the 2022/2023 scholarship competition. Inspired by the theme “Prodigious Resilience,” 464 students from 87 cities across Arkansas applied for a chance at part of the $219,000 worth of scholarships.
“The level of talent the judges saw this year was spectacular. Thea works to support students and educators in all aspects of arts education, and this effort is obvious in so many of the submissions we received,” Dave Hawsey, Thea Foundation Board President.
The following 36 Arkansas seniors were awarded scholarships in five different categories:
Performing Arts
- $10,000 – Campbell Yung – Little Rock Christian Academy, Little Rock Endowed by Clinton Family Foundation
- $9,000 – Christina Myers – Lakeside High School, Hot Springs Endowed by Linda and Paul Leopoulos
- $8,000 – Mya Sanders – Hot Springs High School, Hot Springs Endowed by Ken Hammonds
- $7,000 – Faith Cureton – Van Buren High School, Van Buren nEndowed by Anna Kay and David Frueauff
- $6,000 – Brooklyn Courtney-Moore – Pulaski Academy, Little Rock nEndowed by Chip and Cindy Murphy
- $3,000 – Peyton Lyons – Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville Endowed by Michelle Browning
- $3,000 – Lucy Jolley – Robinson High School, Little Rock nEndowed by Anita Cabe
- $3,000 – Audrey Swain- Conway High School, Conway Endowed by Sharon Heflin
- $3,000 – Brennan Wilkins – Lakeside High School, Hot Springs Endowed by Gert and Wesley Clark
- $3,000 – Emily Cross – Clarksville High School, Clarksville nEndowed by Robert and Joanna Seibert
Visual Arts
- $10,000 – McKenzie Young – Sylvan Hills High School, Sherwood nEndowed by Thea Foundation Board of Directors
- $9,000 – Jay Decker – Cabot High School, Cabot nEndowed by Windgate Charitable Foundation
- $8,000 – Skie Edwards – North Little Rock High School, North Little Rock Endowed by Robyn Horn & Dede and Karen Hutcheson
- $7,000 – Roman Kresse – Central High School, Little Rock Endowed by Thea Foundation
- $6,000 – Grace Moore – Life Way Christian, Bella Vista nEndowed by The Robin Orsi Family
- $3,000 – Macy Brookhouser – Life Way Christian, Centerton nEndowed by the Olds Foundation
- $3,000 – Isabella Hamilton – Central High School, Little Rock nEndowed by Glenn Davis
- $3,000 – Alyssa Jaggermauth – Arkansas Arts Academy, Rogers Endowed by Mollie Munro
- $3,000 – Angelina Parker – Van Buren High School, Van Buren nEndowed by Andrew Clyde
- $3,000 – Irien Rogers – North Little Rock High School, North Little Rock Endowed by George Davis
Creative Writing
- $10,000 – Clarke Preston – North Little Rock High School, North Little Rock Endowed by Betty Wilkinson
- $9,000 – Olivia Lessel – Little Rock Christian Academy, Little Rock Endowed by Dr. Ben Meade and Jane Hunt
- $8,000 – Shelby Hill – Harding Academy, Searcy Endowed by Thea Foundation
- $7,000 – Gautami Lohakare – Central High School, Little Rock Endowed by Thea Foundation
- $6,000 – Alexandria Lowery – Riverview High School, Judsonia Endowed by Thea Foundation
- $3,000 – Elizabeth Clark – Conway High School, Conway Endowed by Thea Foundation
- $3,000 – Emily Staggs- Batesville Charter High School, Batesville Endowed by The Rebsamen Fund
- $3,000 – Faith Hilvert – Mountain Home High School, Mountain Home nEndowed by Thea Foundation
- $3,000 – Cassidy Tucker – Arkansas Arts Academy, Bella Vista Endowed by Thea Foundation
- $3,000 – Natalie Waggoner – Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville Endowed by Thea Foundation
Film
- $10,000 – John Ghormley – Conway High School, Conway Endowed by Natalie and Win Rockefeller
- $9,000 – Alexandra Duran – Rogers High School, Rogers Endowed by Dorothy Morris
- $8,000 – Bekah Jackson – Central High School, Little Rock Endowed by Kye Masino
Fashion
- $10,000 – Hailey Enggano – Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School, Little Rock Endowed by Jeanne McNeill Johansson
- $9,000 – Eureka Smith – Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Hot Springs Endowed by Thea Foundation
- $8,000 – Avery Henley – Batesville Charter High School, Batesville Endowed by Thea Foundation
Thea Foundation is excited to also announce a change to next year’s competition that will allow even more students to compete. For students eager to get started, the theme for the 2023/2024 competition will be “Individual, and beautiful.” All rising seniors will need to submit their applications and work by November 1, 2023.
The annual competitions are for Arkansas graduating high school seniors, and remain a key resource for helping young people across the state receive financial help for higher education. Each of the five arts-based competitions provide Arkansas seniors with an opportunity to secure funding for college based on their talent alone. The organization’s first scholarship was awarded in 2002. The program is now endowed and has awarded more than $2.8 million in scholarships to Arkansas students since then.