2008 Barbara Benson Scholarship Winners

TACFA Announces 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.