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Scholarship for the arts

In memory of Helen M. Eisenman

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deadline:
May 30, 2024

This scholarship will award two deserving students $5,000 each towards their tuition in their respective field of the arts: fine arts, computer graphics, design, music, choral, photography, filmmaking, creative writing, and poetry, to name a few. It is open to anyone seeking a degree, from an associate to a doctoral degree in the creative arts.

 

Helen was a single mother devoted to her daughter, Andrea, who has cystic fibrosis. She made many sacrifices in order to help Andrea live a long and healthy life. Helen also fit in her passion for the arts. She was a talented photographer, writer, and editor (she used to proofread CF Roundtable, too).

 

Helen was born in 1928, near Vienna, Austria, and was a Holocaust survivor. She and her parents were admirers of the arts in Vienna and later in New York City, where they resettled after 1940. Helen was proficient in several languages—German, French, Portuguese, and English—which would later serve her well in her career writing subtitles for foreign films. She majored in English at Queens College and later landed her first job writing for radio. Helen later joined the film industry as an editor and, eventually, was known as the “Doyenne of Subtitles”—the go-to person for subtitling foreign feature films.

 

In her 50s, Helen combined her love of learning and photography by pursuing a master’s degree at the New School of Social Research in NYC where she studied new media studies. This led to a few photo exhibits in Long Island, NY. For her thesis, she taught kindergarten children this medium, creating a photography program and building a darkroom in a local public school. It was a way for young children to communicate through images about their lives and the world around them.

 

Helen eventually added Spanish to her language proficiency repertoire in order to broaden her freelance subtitle writing. Having her own company allowed her to care for her daughter, Andrea, who received a double-lung transplant in 2000. Helen never let CF get her down and never stopped fighting for her daughter. She instilled in her daughter the appreciation of life and the arts. Andrea went to college and became a graphic designer with a minor in silkscreen printing. Currently she volunteers her time to USACFA and CF Roundtable.

 

To apply for this scholarship, please specify what type of creative degree you are pursuing (e.g., fine arts, graphics, music, singing, photography, filmmaking, writing, poetry, dance, theatre, and other performance arts). Candidates should have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Please submit essay answers, electronic samples of your work for consideration, transcripts, and a letter from your physician confirming CF diagnosis.

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If you are submitting an online portfolio, please still do that as a document (PDF or Word format) containing the link(s) for any materials you would like reviewed with your application.

scholarship requirements

  • The Scholarship for the Arts application form, including three essays shown below and samples of your artistic work, with a link or attachment of relevant files.

  • A copy of your transcript from high school

  • A copy of your transcript from college, when applicable

  • A copy of proof of enrollment for the upcoming semester

  • A resume, including all of your contact information

  • An official letter from your doctor or CF clinic confirming cystic fibrosis diagnosis

  • A headshot

  • All three essays outlined below, submitted in one document. Please use headers in the document to identify each essay. There is no word count requirement.

  • Applicants must provide proof of enrollment for the academic year their application is targeting. For example, applicants for the Academic Year 2023-2024 cycle must demonstrate that they will be enrolled for the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 terms.

  • Applicants do *not* need to be actively enrolled in a degree program when applying—but must be enrolled for the time period covered by award disbursements. See above.

  • Winners who are enrolled full-time for the disbursement period will receive 100% of the listed award amount. Those who are enrolled half-time for the disbursement period will receive 50% of the listed award amount.

  • Two scholarships are given out for each portfolio each year. In the case of a tie for second place, decisions will be made based on evidence of financial need articulated in applicant essays.

  • Applicants may not apply to both the Arts and Higher Education scholarship mechanisms within the same cycle.

  • Each person can only win the same scholarship once during the course of their education. However, a single person can win the Arts scholarship in one cycle and the Higher Education scholarship in another.

  • In the event you are awarded a scholarship, the following will be needed:

    • Signed statement authorizing USACFA to publicly post, along with your headshot, on our blog, in our publication, and/or any of our social media outlets

    • A short bio to be used with the aforementioned requirement

    • Agreement to write an article or blog entry for CF Roundtable (details TBD)

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Thesis of art:

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As concisely as possible, please describe your artistic vision. What are your ideas and focus? Why is this your direction? What do you expect to do with the degree you are seeking?

ESSAY 1 

ESSAY 2

Financial need:

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From a financial standpoint, what impact would this scholarship have on your education? Will you volunteer your creativity to the CF community and if so, how? Or if you have previously, describe how and your plans to continue?

ESSAY 3

Future Plans and Goals

 

Briefly describe your short- and long-term goals. How will receiving this scholarship aid you in your artistic journey and career? How does CF factor into these goals?

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ARTISTIC SAMPLES

Include files or links

 

In order to evaluate your work, please include an online portfolio, PDF, .MOV or those files relevant to exhibit your work below.

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If including a link with samples, add the URL
within the essay answer portion of form.

Apply Scholarship

apply here

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