The St. Johns Cultural Council announces 2019 Jr. ROWITA Fellowship recipients

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The St. Johns Cultural Council recently announced the names of the women selected to receive 2019 Junior Recognizing Outstanding Women in the Arts Fellowships. This year’s honorees are Susanna Matza and Layla Slate, both St. Augustine High School's class of 2019 graduates.

Layla Slate was the president of the Debate Club, The Young Democrats Club and the Art Club, as well as a member of the SAHS Center for the Arts Guitar Ensemble. Slate has been awarded a $500 fellowship in the Visual Arts category. 

“My goal in pursuing this kind of higher education is to refine my perspective in my art and to ultimately combine this with my political activism,” Slate said of her artistic intentions.

Susanna Matza was active in drama, musical theatre and chorus while attending St. Augustine High School's Center for the Arts. She was awarded a $500 fellowship in the Performing Arts category. Matza plans to pursue a BFA in Drama with an emphasis on film, television and new media.

 “I want a career in acting and know there is no fast track to becoming a successful actor,” Matza said. “I believe in investing in the best education to learn the best tools to become successful.”

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre provided both women with tickets to upcoming summer shows, and Flower Works generously supplied bouquets during the ROWITA celebration ceremony held in March at the Limelight Theatre.

The Jr. ROWITA Fellowship is a scholarship awarded to graduating women high school seniors to help them develop their artistic skills. The application for the Jr. ROWITA Fellowship is available at  www.stjohnsculture.com/grants-awards/jr-rowita. Deadline for submissions is the last day of February. For more information, call the Cultural Council at (904) 808-7330.