The Women’s Jewelry Association Foundation (WJAF) declared its scholarship recipients, all of whom are students in accredited programmes focused on jewellery making and design, to receive a total of $35,000 in scholarship funds for the
2021-2022 programme year.
There are a total of five scholarship categories in which the 2021 winners have been gifted, ranging from $1,000- $5,000; The Cindy Edelstein Jewelry Design Scholarship, the Gabriel Love Foundation Scholarship, Designer Category (based on designs by the student, includes CAD and drawings), Designer/Creator Category (based on images of finished pieces that are designed and created by the student), and Non-Designer Category (essay-based for those studying to be a gemmologist, appraiser, watch-maker, bench jeweller, or retailer).
The additional WJA scholarship winners of 2021 include:
Christiane Gozashti, Gemological Institute of America
Xinchen Li, UW Wisconsin
Barbara Salinas, FIT
Jennifer Foote, Academy of Art Institute
Allison Ice, University of Kansas
Sky Gilbert, Winthrop University
Naomi Chicoine, San Diego State
Amber Kimlick, University of North Carolina
Spriha Baid, Gemological Institute of America
Sarah Fam, Gemological Institute of America
Funds for WJA scholarships are raised through the association’s annual Awards for Excellence Gala in which a number of individual member and corporate donations are given to establish generous sponsorship funds. This year, Awards for Excellence will centre around WJA’s 2021 organisational theme, Building Resilience for Responsible Business.