Three students receive $6,250 in awards for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is honored in many ways in San Bernardino. Recently, The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire honored him by giving three high school students scholarships and other awards as prizes for essays about their own creative dreams.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire has awarded $5,000 in scholarships and an art supply kit worth $1,250 to three high school seniors.

The seniors, Alex Shaffer of Yucaipa and Megan Flanagan and Sylvia Rodriguez, both of Riverside, are winners in The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire’s “I Have A Creative Dream” essay contest, which it held in conjunction with a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day open house on Monday, Jan. 18.

“They wrote great essays,” said Monica Jeffs, senior admissions director for the Art Institute of California – Inland Empire and contest coordinator. “Some of them were very heartwarming. It means a lot to these students to be awarded these scholarships.”

Shaffer, 17, attends Yucaipa High School. He received a $3,000 scholarship for his first-place essay.

“My family and I are definitely planning on using that scholarship,” Alex said. It will be a great help to me in fulfilling my creative dream.”

Flanagan, 18, attends Riverside Polytechnic High School. She received a $2,000 scholarship for second place.

Rodriguez, 17, attends Summit Valley High School. She received an Art Institute art supply kit valued at $1,250 for third place.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.

The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start a new term at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Feb. 19 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute at (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.
The Art Institute California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
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