On June 20th the Knight Center for Music Innovation at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music celebrated the creative aspirations of budding young artists from across the State at the 25th Arts for Life! Scholarship Awards Ceremony and Art Symposium.
Established in 1999 by Mrs. Columba Bush, former First Lady of Florida, the Arts for Life! Scholarship advocates for the arts and recognizes the creative talents of high school students throughout Florida.
This annual scholarship program awards cash scholarships to help advance the futures of graduating high school seniors who excel in the realm of arts.
Of more than 630 talented students from across 44 counties in Florida, only 25 were selected to receive the prestigious art accolade.
One of which was Isabella "Izzy" Rootsey, 2024 graduate of West Shore Jr./Sr. High School. Izzy was awarded a $1000 scholarship in the category of Creative Writing.
The award recognition was a full day event with a symposium, luncheon, and the presentation of scholarships to the winners in the six disciplines of the art - creative writing, dance, drama, film, music and visual arts.
Additionally, all those recognized perform their pieces or display their works, partake in a panel discussion led by experts in the art arena and former winners of the scholarship who have since gone on to become accomplished professionals in their fields.
The event concluded with the presentation of the scholarships by former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, and current Chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education.
Last October, Izzy applied for the Arts for Life! Scholarship after her English 4 Honors Teacher, Ms. Brown provided a list of scholarship opportunities for a yearly class activity - Possible Publications. Izzy submitted a portfolio of three of her creative writing pieces and found out it won a scholarship in the Creative Writing category in April.
When asked about her victory, Izzy stated, “When I received the email that I had won, I was incredibly excited. I had competed with my writing before, but not in such a high stakes competition. Getting this scholarship meant a lot to me, and I’m looking forward to pursing writing in the future.”
As a guest, Izzy brought her former Journalism Teacher, Mark Schledorn, who she credits with being a major influence in her writing.
Izzy will be attending Eastern Florida State College in the Fall, where she hopes to pursue an associate’s degree in the arts and to continue to grow her writing prowess.
West Shore is proud of Izzy Rootsey for her years of dedication and hard work in the arts!