First place winner Kimberly Fickerson accepts her check for $5000
by Richard Lieberman
Recently at the fifth annual Peace Scholarship Awards Luncheon hosted by the Rotary Club of Ventura scholarships were awarded to local area students. The awards were presented to high school seniors and is unusual for art students to be presented with a financial incentive to pursue and continue their education in art related subjects.
Five scholarship awards were offered in amounts ranging from five thousand dollars to the first-place winner, two thousand five hundred dollars for the second-place winner, one thousand five hundred dollars to the third-place winner, seven hundred fifty to the fourth-place winner and five hundred dollars to the fifth-place winner.
The focus of the scholarships presented was on the subject of peace. Students were asked to “Express your voice and show what peace means to you.” For the fifth year of the program the focus on peace remains one of the Rotary Clubs major areas of interest. Peace as defined by the Rotary Club International is an environment that supports equality and justice for all.” An initiative for peace can be anything that supports the human condition, for example the need for food, water, shelter, health care, literacy, jobs and human rights.”
The scholarships were awarded to: First place winner Kimberly Fickerson, for her short film “Rain”, Second place winner Ixzel Nava for her short film “Peace is Infinite”, Third place winner Clarisse Cortez “Let’s Live Together “, Fourth place winner Summer Rose Hayashi for her “Justice is Peace “and Fifth place winner Juan Orozco Mendez for “Peace”
Kimberly Fickerson of Foothill Tech Highschool said “I found out about this scholarship during a presentation from my art teacher. He said it was a really important opportunity for us to try to do it, my mom really encouraged me to take part in It and so then on one rainy day I was sitting down trying to figure out what I was going to do I thought well I could use the rain because I really like the rain. Rain is my favorite type of weather pattern, so I used that to inspire me to write a short poem about rain and then filmed it,” she said “I was quite shocked to receive the award, but I also knew I put a lot of hard work in it, so I was really grateful to receive the award” she added.
Clarisse Cortez of Foothill Tech High School said, “It started out at the beginning of the school year I noticed the blue poster for the perspectives on peace scholarships I left it on the back of my brain for two weeks.” Cortez said. “Okay, then what should I do so it was really interesting for me because it was like I had to go through a little bit of a paradox like what would war be without peace and what peace would be without war.” Added Cortez. “I worked on the project for three days. Working eight to ten hours each day until completion” she added.
Second, fourth and fifth place winners were not available for interviews after the presentation.
