Raise the Torch
The Campaign for Florida State

Students Use Artistic Talent to Thank Donors

Painting by April Fitzpatrick

Florida State University students who receive private funding through donations to the FSU Foundation write thank you letters to their scholarship donors, often offering a glimpse into their future plans.

For these three College of Fine Arts students, however, words alone couldn’t adequately express their gratitude—they let their talent say “thank you” to their scholarship donors.

“After graduation, I seek to use my platform as an art therapist to instill life skills, foster a positive identity and provide a form of expression for youth in underrepresented communities,” wrote April Fitzpatrick.

April Fitzpatrick is an Art Therapy student in the master’s program and a recipient of the Marylou Kuhn and Ernestine Kuhn Endowed Scholarship. Her interests include Afrocentric theories, social justice, cultural awareness and non-western approaches in art therapy. She plans to one day develop a program using cultural specific group art therapy.

 

Postcard by Hsiu-chun Yang

Postcard by Hsiu-chun Yang

 

“What I aim to do in art education is to put art in an integrated stance in our lives. I hope art could lead us to living better,” wrote Hsiu-chun Yang.

Hsiu-chun Yang, a doctoral student in the Art Education program, is also a recipient of the Marylou Kuhn and Ernestine Kuhn Endowed Scholarship. She is an international student from Taiwan, and her research at FSU delves into how to adapt the Reggio Emilia approach in her home country. Yang dreams of opening her own art school that will show her students how to incorporate art in their everyday lives.

 

Origami by Mary Chong
Origami by Mary Chong
 

“After graduate school, I look forward to going to a third-world country to serve as an art teacher and a missionary,” wrote Mary Chong.

Mary Chong is working toward her master’s degree in Studio Art and is a recipient of the Andy McLachlin Memorial Award. Chong’s work explores spirituality and combines painting and drawing into mixed media collages.

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