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Leyden Students Earn $4.9 Million In Art Scholarships


East Leyden senior Wilson Rodriguez competes at an art competition alongside peers helping Dist. 212 win $4.9 million in scholarship money. (Photo by Dist. 212)

The Illinois High School Art Exhibition (IHSAE) distributed $129 million in college scholarship offers, with $4.9 million going to East and West Leyden high school students.

IHSAE awarded schools and displayed artwork during the April 23 event. Students were selected across eight different categories, or from submitted scholarship portfolios. The exhibition was a way for students to showcase their art while searching for scholarship support.

Seniors got their own category, where East and West Leyden seniors earned the $4.9 million in scholarships, according to Leyden Dist. 212. West Leyden was among the top 20 highest earning schools with just over $2 million in scholarship awards.

East senior Mariana Calderon was among the top 20 individual highest earning award recipients. East senior Eliana Caron was chosen as one of the five best portfolios of all the entries and got to display her portfolio.

Within the Northern Region Exhibition, East junior Alexandra Holubowicz won a first place award for her Ceramic Candlesticks and received $300 in cash and gift certificates. Senior Wilson Rodriguez won a second place prize for his Mixed Media artwork awarding him $200 in cash and gift certificates.

The Early College Program Exhibition highlighted underclassmen. West Leyden’s Estraya Rodriguez won a scholarship to attend the Chicago School of the Art Institute’s summer workshop for high school students.

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