WJA Awards over $65K to 49 Recipients

RAPAPORT... The Women's Jewelry Association (WJA) has revealed thewinners of its 2019 Excellence Awards scholarships and grants. The group will award a total of $65,500 - raised through itsAwards for Excellence Gala, individual member donations and sponsorships - to 49women. Recipients use the funds to pay for their education and advance theirprofessional careers. "Our grant and scholarship winners are an impressive group," WJAexecutive director Bernadette Mack said Tuesday. "Helping women enter andsustain careers in the jewelry business is one of the most important goals ofthe Women's Jewelry Association." The 2019 scholarship and grant winners are: Carelle ($5,000) Anne Holman and Jen Townsend, owners of contemporary jewelryand modern craft studio The Smithery. Female VeteranScholarship, sponsored by Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group ($5,000)Nora Micheli Hernandez, a student of jewelryrepair, computer-aided design, and jewelry technology at Texas Institute ofJewelry Technology. CindyEdelstein Jewelry Design Scholarship ($5,000) Coco de Salazar, founder of de Salazar Jewelry,and a teacher of fabrication and soldering classes. She holds thepresident-elect board position for the WJA Miami chapter. GabrielLove Foundation Scholarship ($5,000) Xabrina Michel'li Thompson, a graduate gemologystudent at the GIA. TheJune Herman Designer/Creator Scholarship Award ($5,000)Qianwen Lu, a jewelry-design student at thePratt InstituteThePeggy Kirby Designer Scholarship Award ($5,000) Hsinyu Chu, GIADesigner/CreatorScholarshipsLauren Delbracco ($3,000) Xun Liu ($2,500) Zoe Larson ($1,500) Melissa Cousins ($1,000) Designer ScholarshipsMengjie Zhang ($2,000) Xinchen Li ($1,000) Non-Designer ScholarshipsBonnie Cornell ($3,000) Jennifer Pollard ($2,500) Katie Soule ($1,500) Laura Marsolek ($1,000) Grantwinners listed by WJA chapter ($500 Each): Austin: Jen Leddy-BarnesBoston: Wendy Jo NewChicago: Sue Rosengard, Anne Van der Meulen, Olivia ZaleColorado: Alexandra FitzgeraldDallas: Kelly Grise, Patricia SchragHouston: Maggie SegrichLosAngeles: Harvinder KeilaNorthernCalifornia: Sara Beck,Christy Comstock, Brittany StadtmillerNYMetro: Kristine Cabanban,AnnaLisa Cervi, Christine Malle, Stephanie Maslow Blackman, Annmarie SclafaniStewartOhio/Kentucky: Christina Miller, Leslie WrightPhiladelphia: Christine AlanizProvidence: Jennifer SkibaRaleigh: Martha D'AlessandroSanDiego: Laura Fischer, NikiGrandics, Kathleen Lynagh HouseSeattle: Nancy Castillo, Jessica HernerTwinCities: JenniferBellefleur, Dawn BruggemanCharlotte Preston "Getsit Done" Grant: BetsySandersImage: Coco de Salazar, recipient of the Cindy Edelstein scholarship. (WJA)