Designer Category Scholarship Recipients:

$6,000 June Herman Scholarship

Christine Alaniz -  Tyler School of Art, Temple University

Ms. Alaniz’s designs explore themes of wrapping, nesting and encaging in order to represent how she sees others and herself in relationships. Members of the jury were impressed with her clean crisp lines and fluid design sense.  

$5,000 Scholarship

Evelyn Huang – Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (Los Angeles). 

Ms. Huang is one of the first winners of a WJA Student Scholarship who is a student in the Fashion Design Industry.  She has recently fallen in love with jewelry and jumped in full force starting her own company, and now attending FIDM.  Her designs are mature and enticing, according to the jury. Ms. Huang is also a 2007 WJA DIVA award winner and 2008 MJSA Vision award winner. 

$3,500 Scholarship

Amy Hamai – Long Beach City College.  The jury felt that Ms. Hamai demonstrated great technical skills in her clean jewelry designs.  She incorporates small surprises and moving elements in each of her pieces.

$2,500 Scholarship

Rebekah Frank – Texas State University, San Marcos

 $1,500 Scholarship

Clara Cho – Rhode Island School of Design

$1,000 Scholarships

Carrie Metheny – Radford University, Radford, VA

Aliyah Gold – State University of New York at New Paltz

$500 Scholarships

1. Molly Gabbard – Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

2. Ryu-Hee Kim – Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

3. Lindsey Eisentraut – Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA

NON-DESIGNER CATEGORY

$1,000 Scholarship

Sophia Connie Shen - GIA

$750 Scholarships

1. Marlyn Martinez Marrero – Fashion Institute of Technology

2. Eriko Kojo – GIA

$500 Scholarship

 Louisa Green - The Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts

2008 Scholarship funds were raised from the proceeds of WJA’s Silent Auction held during its annual Awards for Excellence gala in 2007, as well as from the generous contributions of companies and individuals, including but not limited to the generous support of the Marilyn DaSilva Fund and the WJA San Diego Chapter. 

The scholarship committee, which made up the jury, included Lisa Slovis Mandel, Chair, Jane Goodman Baum, Jayne Schultz, Barbara Wasserstrom, Karen Janowski, Carole Diamond, and Anne Blumer.