Arts League scholarship awarded to PRC High School senior
Published 7:00 am Tuesday, May 22, 2018
- Anthony Doucet was recently awarded a $500 scholarship by the Pearl River County Art League. Doucet will be attending William Carey University in the fall, and has declared art as his major. Photo by Leah McEwen
The Pearl River County Arts League recently awarded a $500 scholarship to a graduating Pearl River Central High School senior, Anthony Doucet.
Doucet said that his sister joined the art league after attending this year’s art fair in April. She would later tell him about the scholarship opportunity, prompting him to submit the necessary materials after which he was awarded the scholarship during Pearl River Central High School’s award ceremony on Thursday.
Doucet said he has been accepted to William Carey University in Hattiesburg and will be seeking a degree in art with a minor in English. He said he is leaning towards graphic design as a potential career path. Besides pursuing graphic design, Doucet also said he would like to write a science fiction novel and use his background in art to create his own illustrations.
PRC Arts League President Laura Ousset said the League has been offering scholarships for several years. She said the club raises money by raffling off works of art during the yearly show. Because of this, the award amount and number of scholarships changes each year depending on how much is raised. This year it was decided that a single scholarship of $500 would be given to a qualifying senior.
“The goal is to expose the people of Pearl River County to local art,” Ousset said.
Ousset said the scholarship is open to any graduating senior in Pearl River County who intends to pursue an art degree. To be eligible, each student must submit a portfolio of their work, an essay describing their interest in art and what they plan to do with the funds along with a letter of recommendation.
The scholarship is not given outright, but rather is provided after the successful completion of their first art class. Ousset said because many universities require students take several semesters of basic classes before their core art classes, students have up to three years to collect the money. She said if a scholarship is not collected within that time, it is reverted back to the Art League for future use as a scholarship.
