Barbara Benson Memorial Scholarships

Named for long-time community supporter, TUSD school Board member and TACFA Board member, Barbara Benson, these annual scholarships are awarded to TUSD high school seniors who will further their arts education in a post-secondary institution.

TACFA works with the high school's art departments and counselors to find applicants. Each applicant submits a written application, career goal statement and letter of recommendation. After also demonstrating their particular talents, a panel of professionals chooses the scholarships' recipients.

TACFA Announces 2009 Annual Scholarship Winners

The Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts (TACFA) has announced its Barbara Benson Memorial Scholarship winners for 2009. Each spring scholarships are awarded to graduating seniors in the Tustin area who intend to pursue a career in the Visual or Performing Arts at a college, university, or other professional training program after graduating from high school. This year TACFA has awarded four $2,000 scholarships for a total of $8,000 in scholarship awards.

The TACFA scholarship program is one of the most important ways TACFA meets its goal of supporting the Arts in the greater Tustin area. In this competition, each applicant is required to complete a written application in addition to presenting their work to a TACFA delegation composed of experts in the various fields of the Arts. This year’s jury was made up of Helen Anderson, Rita Chemers, Ruth Freiman, Ted Leib, and Bob Machado. After interviewing fifteen remarkably talented students, the judges recommended that the following students be awarded the scholarships. The scholarship winners will be honored at a May 30th reception at Soul at Home in Tustin.

Daniel Chang, Beckman High School is an amazing visual artist in a variety of different media. He will start at UC Riverside this fall and hopes to transfer to the Rhode Island School of Design to study studio art. He has won several awards in the International Aviation Art Contest and in the annual John Wayne Airport Student Art Contest. He has served as project manager for the Art for Humanity Club, as secretary for the UNICEF Club, and as a teaching assistant at Irvine Art Academy. He participates in many community volunteer activities and is also an accomplished musician.

James Friedman, Foothill High School, an outstanding drummer, plans on furthering his education in music writing, studio recording, and performance at Irvine Valley College this year. He twice won the Academic Award of Excellence for Outstanding Jazz Musician, drum soloist. Besides being drum major, James played in the high school’s marching, stage, and concert bands. At age 14 he was recruited to play with a professional band known for their mix of jazz, rock, Latin, and light fusion instrumental music. He has played at such venues as Disneyland, Universal Studios, and PBS.

Allan Hon, Beckman High School, is a gifted cellist who will study cello performance at Rice University in Texas this fall. He has been either first-place winner or a semifinalist in many competitions: the L.A. Music Center Spotlight Awards 2009, the Orange Coast College Concerto Aria Competition, the South Coast Symphony Young Artists Competition 2007, the Southwestern Youth Music Festival 2006, the International Chinese Young Musician Competition 2006, and the 2008 Music Teacher Association of California VOCE State Competition. He has played with the Beckman High School Chamber Orchestra for four years and the Orange County Youth Symphony. In addition, his volunteer activities include World Vision, Kiwanis Educating Youth Club, Key Club, and the Irvine Regional Hospital Medical Center.

Chloe Van Stralendorff, Tustin High School, is an accomplished painter, focusing on social and lifestyle issues. She will attend Fullerton College this fall to begin her studies in exhibition design with the ultimate goal of working as a museum or gallery curator. Her paintings were recently shown at Santa Ana’s GRRL Festival, celebrating International Women’s Day.

Diane Aust, president of TACFA, said, “TACFA congratulates all the winners and thanks all those who participated. We are proud to sponsor scholarships for these talented and deserving students and only wish we could reward every student who participates. The Tustin community is fortunate to have such accomplished young people in our area, and we look forward to celebrating these students’ future accomplishments.”

Past Winners

2008 Annual Scholarship Winners

Shaila Campbell, from Tustin High School, is an amazing visual artist specializing in ceramics and photography. She was honored with a first place blue ribbon in ceramics for the Youth Expo at the Orange County Fair in 2007. Shaila is a talented, self-directed and diligent artist. She has the ability to see the unusual and capture it in a sensitive, artistic composition. This fall Shaila will be attending Orange Coast College. After obtaining her A.A. Degree she will transfer to a university to major in Art and obtain a teaching credential or work in exhibition design.

Hannah Juliano, from Foothill High School, excels in vocal performance with self-accompaniment on the piano. She has composed a song which she will perform for her class graduation. She has also enjoyed writing harmonies and directing numerous musical performances in choir shows at Foothill High. She has served as section leader in the Madrigals and has been a featured soloist in several productions. In addition to her vocal abilities Hannah is an accomplished dancer and has used her skills to work with fellow students as a choreographer for “Knights on Broadway”. Hannah hopes to pursue a career as a recording artist. She will be attending Berklee College of Music in Boston in the fall where she will major in Vocal/Self Accompaniment Performance and Contemporary Songwriting/Production.

Kristine Lee, from Beckman High School, is a gifted visual artist who is currently studying figure drawing to prepare for foundation classes at Rhode Island School of Design in the fall. She exhibits equal facility while working in pencil, pastel or paint. She has created works that are representational and careful observations of nature. However, Kristine challenges herself with non-objective experiments using unconventional media. Kristine is also an accomplished musician and has been honored to occupy the principal cellist seat in her Chamber Orchestra class and to perform at Carnegie Hall. In addition to the above accomplishments, Kristine is a varsity athlete.

Vickram Ravindran, from Beckman High School, is accomplished in several art forms. His mastery in vocal and instrumental music, the fine arts and even martial arts has led him to his two finest crafts, filmmaking and acting. He has received Awards of Excellence in Advanced Media Arts, Advanced Theater Arts, many awards in piano performance and first place in the five-minute category at the Beckman Film Festival. Vickram’s films are usually unique and have a fun flair to them. However, the films that he is most proud of are those that deliver strong messages through intense emotional appeal. His training in Advanced Digital Video Production and Advanced Theater Arts, plus summer classes at USC Film School, have prepared him well for attending Chapman University’s College of Film and Media Arts as a Film Production Major in the fall.

Jorge Ruvalcaba is also a 2008 graduate of Beckman High. His musical endeavors are focused on the bassoon, but he is also proficient at playing the saxophone and the French horn. His enthusiasm for music is contagious. At Beckman he has participated in Marching Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band and Varsity Band. He recruited musicians, selected the music and rehearsed a woodwind quintet. Their first performance was at the SCSBOA Solo and Ensemble Festival where they received a Superior rating. Jorge participated in the Chapman Honor Band 2007 and earned a seat in the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra 2007-2008. Jorge will attend Cal State Fullerton in the fall. In addition to performing, he plans to teach the next generation of musicians.

2007 Annual Scholarship Winners

Giselle Strauss of Foothill High won in the Visual Arts category.

Leah Birkenbach from Tustin High excels in photography in the Visual Arts category and in creative writing.

Peter Parrish, also a Tustin High student, was awarded his TACFA scholarship in Visual Arts.

Courtney Beavers, a member of the first graduating class of Beckman High School, has been accepted into Chapman University Film School.

Kyle Evans, also a 2007 graduate of Beckman High, excels in the field of Instrumental Music.

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